Viral Vector Vaccines against Bluetongue Virus

• Main Authors: Luis Jiménez-Cabello, Sergio Utrilla-Trigo, Eva Calvo-Pinilla, Sandra Moreno, Aitor Nogales, Javier Ortego, Alejandro Marín-López
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: Microorganisms
• Subjects: bluetongue virus (BTV); recombinant vaccines; viral vectors; humoral and cellular immune responses; multiserotype protection
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/1/42

Bluetongue virus (BTV), the prototype member of the genus <i>Orbivirus </i>(family <i>Reoviridae</i>), is the causative agent of an important livestock disease, bluetongue (BT), which is transmitted via biting midges of the genus <i>Culicoides. </i>To date, up to 29 serotypes of BTV have been described, which are classified as classical (BTV 1–24) or atypical (serotypes 25–27), and its distribution has been expanding since 1998, with important outbreaks in the Mediterranean Basin and devastating incursions in Northern and Western Europe. Classical vaccine approaches, such as live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines, have been used as prophylactic measures to control BT through the years. However, these vaccine approaches fail to address important matters like vaccine safety profile, effectiveness, induction of a cross-protective immune response among serotypes, and implementation of a DIVA (differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals) strategy. In this context, a wide range of recombinant vaccine prototypes against BTV, ranging from subunit vaccines to recombinant viral vector vaccines, have been investigated. This article offers a comprehensive outline of the live viral vectors used against BTV.