Realising the potential of a safe and protective universal vaccine for African horse sickness disease

非洲马病是一种毁灭性的马匹病毒性疾病，死亡率约为90%。影响家畜的AHSV和蓝舌病毒(Bluetongue Virus，BTV)具有密切的亲缘关系，通过相同的库蚊媒介传播，流行于英国和欧洲。目前可用的针对AHSV的疫苗既不安全也不有效，需要一种能够保护所有AHSV血清型的安全疫苗。在BBSRC的资助下，我们为所有9种AHSV血清型设计了新的候选疫苗，这些血清型在正常细胞或动物宿主中严格缺乏复制，并证明了它们在小马上的适用性。为了研究它们的商业化潜力，我们将调查小马的保护期；开发一种适用于所有血清型的独特通用疫苗；定义免疫反应和那些负责交叉保护的免疫反应；以及开发一种DIVA疫苗株。我们的数据将支持一种具有广泛保护性的疫苗，该疫苗生产容易，保质期好，可以预防AHSV

African horse sickness is a devastating viral disease of horses with a ~90% mortality rate. AHSV and Bluetongue Virus, BTV, that affects livestock, are closely related and spread by the same Culicoides vectors, prevalent in UK & Europe. Currently available vaccines against AHSV are neither safe nor effective and a safe vaccine that protects against all AHSV serotypes is desirable. Enabled by BBSRC funding we have designed novel vaccine candidates for all nine AHSV serotypes which are strictly replication-deficient in normal cells or animal hosts and demonstrated their suitability in ponies. To investigate their potential for commercialisation, we will investigate the duration of protection in ponies; develop a unique universal vaccine for all serotypes; define the immune response and those that are responsible for cross-protection; and develop a DIVA vaccine strain. Our data will support a broadly protective vaccine with easy production and good shelf life for protection against AHSV