The Development of Dual Vaccines against Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Bovine Ephemeral Fever (BEF)

Abstract

Dual vaccines (n = 6) against both lumpy skin disease (LSD) and bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) were constructed, based on the BEFV glycoprotein (G) gene, with or without the BEFV matrix (M) protein gene, inserted into one of two different LSDV backbones, nLSDV∆SOD-UCT or nLSDVSODis-UCT. The inserted gene cassettes were confirmed by PCR; and BEFV protein was shown to be expressed by immunofluorescence. The candidate dual vaccines were initially tested in a rabbit model; neutralization assays using the South African BEFV vaccine (B-Phemeral) strain showed an African consensus G protein gene (Gb) to give superior neutralization compared to the Australian (Ga) gene. The two LSDV backbones expressing both Gb and M BEFV genes were tested in cattle and shown to elicit neutralizing responses to LSDV as well as BEFV after two inoculations 4 weeks apart. The vaccines were safe in cattle and all vaccinated animals were protected against virulent LSDV challenge, unlike a group of control naïve animals, which developed clinical LSD. Both neutralizing and T cell responses to LSDV were stimulated upon challenge. After two inoculations, all vaccinated animals produced BEFV neutralizing antibodies ≥ 1/20, which is considered protective for BEF.

Assessment of an LSDV-Vectored Vaccine for Heterologous Prime-Boost Immunizations against HIV

“…The recombinant LSDV (LSDVGC5) was constructed using nLSDVSODis-UCT as a vector backbone [44]. For the construction of LSDVGC5, the green fluorescing LSDV(SODis)BEFV-Gb [48] was used as a parent virus so that the gene cassette between ORFs 49 and 50 could be replaced with a gene cassette, including the mCherry gene, which encodes a red fluorescing protein. A transfer vector was constructed in which the gene cassette-containing TPA-gp150-FL-IP under the control of the VACV mH5 promoter, gag M under the control of the pLEO promoter, and the fluorescent marker mCherry under the control of the modified fowl poxvirus promoter [49]-was placed in between flanking sequences from the LSDV 49-50 locus (Figure 1b) [50].…”

Lumpy Skin Disease—An Emerging Cattle Disease in Europe and Asia

“…A putative non-essential gene encoding a G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor subfamily homologue has been tested as a site for homologous recombination [ 103 ]. The region between the convergent LSDV open reading frames (ORFs) 49 and 50 have also been used without gene disruption [ 20 , 104 , 105 ].…”

“…LSDV expressing bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) proteins induced good BEFV and LSDV neutralising antibody responses in rabbits and cattle. The cattle were protected from LSDV challenge [ 104 ]. Despite the success of recombinant LSDV vaccines, there are still none that have been commercialized.…”

Capripoxviruses, leporipoxviruses, and orthopoxviruses: Occurrences of recombination

“…However, understanding this requires an understanding of how superinfection is governed. In laboratory experiments, homologous recombination has been widely used to disrupt and/or insert genes of interest, to study the functions of specific genes, and to generate recombinant viral vectored vaccine candidates ( Wallace et al, 2020 ; Douglass et al, 2021 ). Poxviruses are suitable vaccine vectors due to their conserved large genomes, relative safety, and capacity to elicit an adequate immune response ( Pastoret and Vanderplasschen, 2003 ).…”

“…Poxviruses are suitable vaccine vectors due to their conserved large genomes, relative safety, and capacity to elicit an adequate immune response ( Pastoret and Vanderplasschen, 2003 ). Examples of recombinant vaccines include the vaccinia rabies vaccine ( Pastoret and Brochier, 1996 ), LSDV based Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) ( Wallace et al, 2020 ), bovine ephemeral fever (BEFV) ( Douglass et al, 2021 ) and even human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ( Shen et al, 2011 ; Chapman et al, 2021 ). The procedures developed for the construction of recombinant vaccinia viruses have been applied to members of other poxvirus genera including avian poxviruses ( Boyle and Coupar, 1988 ) and capripoxviruses ( Romero et al, 1993 ).…”