Reverse genetics approaches for the development of bunyavirus vaccines

The Bunyavirales order is the largest group of RNA viruses, which includes important human and animal pathogens, that cause serious diseases. Licensed vaccines are often not available for many of these pathogens. The establishment of bunyavirus reverse genetics systems has facilitated the generation of recombinant infectious viruses, which have been employed as powerful tools for understanding bunyavirus biology and identifying important virulence factors. Technological advances in this area have enabled the development of novel strategies, including codon-deoptimization, viral genome rearrangement and single-cycle replicable viruses, for the generation of live-attenuated vaccine candidates. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge of the bunyavirus reverse genetics approaches for the generation of live-attenuated vaccine candidates and their evaluation in animal models.