FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Vaccine / Protective immunization of horses with a recombinant canaryp...
Vaccine2009; 27(33); 4434-4438; doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.05.044

Protective immunization of horses with a recombinant canarypox virus vectored vaccine co-expressing genes encoding the outer capsid proteins of African horse sickness virus.

Abstract: We describe the development and preliminary characterization of a recombinant canarypox virus vectored (ALVAC) vaccine for protective immunization of equids against African horse sickness virus (AHSV) infection. Horses (n=8) immunized with either of two concentrations of recombinant canarypox virus vector (ALVAC-AHSV) co-expressing synthetic genes encoding the outer capsid proteins (VP2 and VP5) of AHSV serotype 4 (AHSV-4) developed variable titres (<10-80) of virus-specific neutralizing antibodies and were completely resistant to challenge infection with a virulent strain of AHSV-4. In contrast, a horse immunized with a commercial recombinant canarypox virus vectored vaccine expressing the haemagglutinin genes of two equine influenza H3N8 viruses was seronegative to AHSV and following infection with virulent AHSV-4 developed pyrexia, thrombocytopenia and marked oedema of the supraorbital fossae typical of the "dikkop" or cardiac form of African horse sickness. AHSV was detected by virus isolation and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in the blood of the control horse from 8 days onwards after challenge infection whereas AHSV was not detected at any time in the blood of the ALVAC-AHSV vaccinated horses. The control horse seroconverted to AHSV by 2 weeks after challenge infection as determined by both virus neutralization and ELISA assays, whereas six of eight of the ALVAC-AHSV vaccinated horses did not seroconvert by either assay following challenge infection with virulent AHSV-4. These data confirm that the ALVAC-AHSV vaccine will be useful for the protective immunization of equids against African horse sickness, and avoids many of the problems inherent to live-attenuated AHSV vaccines.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2009-05-31 PubMed ID: 19490959DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.05.044Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article discusses the creation and preliminary testing of a new vaccine, developed using a recombinant canarypox virus, intended to prevent African horse sickness in equids. The study found that the horses given this vaccine were resistant to the sickness, as opposed to horses given a commercially available vaccine who developed symptoms of the disease.

Development of the Vaccine

  • The researchers developed a vaccine using a vector known as a canarypox virus (ALVAC). This was genetically engineered to express specific genes related to the African horse sickness virus (AHSV).
  • The genes encoded for the outer casing proteins (VP2 and VP5) of a specific type of AHSV, known as AHSV serotype 4 (AHSV-4).
  • Eight horses were immunized with different concentrations of this new vaccine.

Impact of the Vaccine

  • The horses that were immunized with the new vaccine developed varying levels of virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, producing a resistance to AHSV-4.
  • In contrast, a horse given a commercially available vaccine developed symptoms of African horse sickness.
  • The researchers found no traces of AHSV in the vaccinated horses’ blood.

Control Group Outcomes

  • A control horse given an alternative commercial vaccine presented symptoms of African horse sickness, including fever, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), and pronounced supraorbital fossae oedema (swelling above the eye socket).
  • AHSV was detected in the blood of the control horse from day eight of infection onward.
  • By the second week of infection, the control horse had seroconverted (created detectable antibodies in response to an infection) to AHSV. This means that the horse’s immune system was responding to the infection.

Conclusion of the Study

  • Researchers concluded that the new ALVAC-AHSV vaccine was effective in protecting horses against African horse sickness.
  • Moreover, it could help avoid the issues that live-attenuated AHSV vaccines bring.

Cite This Article

APA
Guthrie AJ, Quan M, Lourens CW, Audonnet JC, Minke JM, Yao J, He L, Nordgren R, Gardner IA, Maclachlan NJ. (2009). Protective immunization of horses with a recombinant canarypox virus vectored vaccine co-expressing genes encoding the outer capsid proteins of African horse sickness virus. Vaccine, 27(33), 4434-4438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.05.044

Publication

Vaccine
ISSN: 1873-2518
NlmUniqueID: 8406899
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 27
Issue: 33
Pages: 4434-4438

Researcher Affiliations

Guthrie, Alan J
  • Equine Research Centre, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa. alan.guthrie@up.ac.za
Quan, Melvyn
    Lourens, Carina W
      Audonnet, Jean-Christophe
        Minke, Jules M
          Yao, Jiansheng
            He, Ling
              Nordgren, Robert
                Gardner, Ian A
                  Maclachlan, N James

                    MeSH Terms

                    • African Horse Sickness / immunology
                    • African Horse Sickness / prevention & control
                    • African Horse Sickness Virus / immunology
                    • African Horse Sickness Virus / isolation & purification
                    • Animals
                    • Antibodies, Viral / blood
                    • Canarypox virus / immunology
                    • Capsid Proteins / immunology
                    • Cells, Cultured
                    • Cricetinae
                    • Female
                    • Horses / immunology
                    • Male
                    • Vaccines, Attenuated / immunology
                    • Viral Vaccines / immunology

                    Citations

                    This article has been cited 34 times.
                    1. Penzhorn L, Crafford JE, Guthrie AJ. Enhancing African horse sickness virus detection: comparing and adapting PCR assays. J Vet Diagn Invest 2026 Feb 7;:10406387261417355.
                      doi: 10.1177/10406387261417355pubmed: 41653013google scholar: lookup
                    2. Ma X, Zhang M, Zhang X, Qi T, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Na L, Zhang Y, Wang XF, Wang X. Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1. Microorganisms 2025 Dec 9;13(12).
                      doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13122807pubmed: 41472010google scholar: lookup
                    3. Zhang M, Wang XF, Guo SF, Wang L, Fu BF, Wang JW, Song YF, Yang XY, Hao SY, Zhang QY, Zhang B, Yang CH. Identification and Genetic Characterization of a Strain of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1 and Its Safety Evaluation in a Mouse Model. Microorganisms 2025 Oct 6;13(10).
                      doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13102314pubmed: 41156774google scholar: lookup
                    4. Tinarwo M, Dennis SJ, Hitzeroth II, Meyers AE, Rybicki EP, Mbewana S. Development of an African horse sickness VP6 DIVA diagnostic ELISA. Virol J 2025 Aug 12;22(1):276.
                      doi: 10.1186/s12985-025-02898-1pubmed: 40796889google scholar: lookup
                    5. Ma X, Zhang Y, Na L, Qi T, Ma W, Guo X, Wang XF, Wang X. Identification and Characterization of Linear Epitopes of Monoclonal Antibodies Against African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1 VP2 Protein. Viruses 2024 Nov 15;16(11).
                      doi: 10.3390/v16111780pubmed: 39599893google scholar: lookup
                    6. O'Kennedy MM, Roth R, Ebersohn K, du Plessis LH, Mamputha S, Rutkowska DA, du Preez I, Verschoor JA, Lemmer Y. Immunogenic profile of a plant-produced nonavalent African horse sickness viral protein 2 (VP2) vaccine in IFNAR-/- mice. PLoS One 2024;19(4):e0301340.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301340pubmed: 38625924google scholar: lookup
                    7. Durán-Ferrer M, Villalba R, Fernández-Pacheco P, Tena-Tomás C, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ, Bouzada JA, Ruano MJ, Fernández-Pinero J, Arias M, Castillo-Olivares J, Agüero M. Clinical, Virological and Immunological Responses after Experimental Infection with African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 9 in Immunologically Naïve and Vaccinated Horses. Viruses 2022 Jul 15;14(7).
                      doi: 10.3390/v14071545pubmed: 35891525google scholar: lookup
                    8. Fairbanks EL, Brennan ML, Mertens PPC, Tildesley MJ, Daly JM. Re-parameterization of a mathematical model of African horse sickness virus using data from a systematic literature search. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022 Jul;69(4):e671-e681.
                      doi: 10.1111/tbed.14420pubmed: 34921513google scholar: lookup
                    9. Oladunni FS, Oseni SO, Martinez-Sobrido L, Chambers TM. Equine Influenza Virus and Vaccines. Viruses 2021 Aug 20;13(8).
                      doi: 10.3390/v13081657pubmed: 34452521google scholar: lookup
                    10. Jiménez-Cabello L, Utrilla-Trigo S, Calvo-Pinilla E, Moreno S, Nogales A, Ortego J, Marín-López A. Viral Vector Vaccines against Bluetongue Virus. Microorganisms 2020 Dec 25;9(1).
                      doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9010042pubmed: 33375723google scholar: lookup
                    11. Castillo-Olivares J. African horse sickness in Thailand: Challenges of controlling an outbreak by vaccination. Equine Vet J 2021 Jan;53(1):9-14.
                      doi: 10.1111/evj.13353pubmed: 33007121google scholar: lookup
                    12. Rodríguez M, Joseph S, Pfeffer M, Raghavan R, Wernery U. Immune response of horses to inactivated African horse sickness vaccines. BMC Vet Res 2020 Sep 1;16(1):322.
                      doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02540-ypubmed: 32873300google scholar: lookup
                    13. Calvo-Pinilla E, Marín-López A, Utrilla-Trigo S, Jiménez-Cabello L, Ortego J. Reverse genetics approaches: a novel strategy for African horse sickness virus vaccine design. Curr Opin Virol 2020 Oct;44:49-56.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.06.003pubmed: 32659516google scholar: lookup
                    14. Rutkowska DA, Mokoena NB, Tsekoa TL, Dibakwane VS, O'Kennedy MM. Plant-produced chimeric virus-like particles - a new generation vaccine against African horse sickness. BMC Vet Res 2019 Dec 3;15(1):432.
                      doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-2184-2pubmed: 31796116google scholar: lookup
                    15. Dennis SJ, Meyers AE, Hitzeroth II, Rybicki EP. African Horse Sickness: A Review of Current Understanding and Vaccine Development. Viruses 2019 Sep 11;11(9).
                      doi: 10.3390/v11090844pubmed: 31514299google scholar: lookup
                    16. Aksular M, Calvo-Pinilla E, Marín-López A, Ortego J, Chambers AC, King LA, Castillo-Olivares J. A single dose of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) VP2 based vaccines provides complete clinical protection in a mouse model. Vaccine 2018 Nov 12;36(46):7003-7010.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.09.065pubmed: 30309744google scholar: lookup
                    17. Dennis SJ, O'Kennedy MM, Rutkowska D, Tsekoa T, Lourens CW, Hitzeroth II, Meyers AE, Rybicki EP. Safety and immunogenicity of plant-produced African horse sickness virus-like particles in horses. Vet Res 2018 Oct 11;49(1):105.
                      doi: 10.1186/s13567-018-0600-4pubmed: 30309390google scholar: lookup
                    18. Durán-Ferrer M, Agüero M, Zientara S, Beck C, Lecollinet S, Sailleau C, Smith S, Potgieter C, Rueda P, Sastre P, Monaco F, Villalba R, Tena-Tomás C, Batten C, Frost L, Flannery J, Gubbins S, Lubisi BA, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Emery M, Sturgill T, Ostlund E, Castillo-Olivares J. Assessment of reproducibility of a VP7 Blocking ELISA diagnostic test for African horse sickness. Transbound Emerg Dis 2019 Jan;66(1):83-90.
                      doi: 10.1111/tbed.12968pubmed: 30070433google scholar: lookup
                    19. Zhang M, Sun Y, Chen W, Bu Z. The 135 Gene of Goatpox Virus Encodes an Inhibitor of NF-κB and Apoptosis and May Serve as an Improved Insertion Site To Generate Vectored Live Vaccine. J Virol 2018 Sep 15;92(18).
                      doi: 10.1128/JVI.00190-18pubmed: 29950422google scholar: lookup
                    20. Calvo-Pinilla E, Gubbins S, Mertens P, Ortego J, Castillo-Olivares J. The immunogenicity of recombinant vaccines based on modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) viruses expressing African horse sickness virus VP2 antigens depends on the levels of expressed VP2 protein delivered to the host. Antiviral Res 2018 Jun;154:132-139.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.04.015pubmed: 29678552google scholar: lookup
                    21. Dennis SJ, Meyers AE, Guthrie AJ, Hitzeroth II, Rybicki EP. Immunogenicity of plant-produced African horse sickness virus-like particles: implications for a novel vaccine. Plant Biotechnol J 2018 Feb;16(2):442-450.
                      doi: 10.1111/pbi.12783pubmed: 28650085google scholar: lookup
                    22. Conradie AM, Stassen L, Huismans H, Potgieter CA, Theron J. Establishment of different plasmid only-based reverse genetics systems for the recovery of African horse sickness virus. Virology 2016 Dec;499:144-155.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2016.07.010pubmed: 27657835google scholar: lookup
                    23. Weyer CT, Grewar JD, Burger P, Rossouw E, Lourens C, Joone C, le Grange M, Coetzee P, Venter E, Martin DP, MacLachlan NJ, Guthrie AJ. African Horse Sickness Caused by Genome Reassortment and Reversion to Virulence of Live, Attenuated Vaccine Viruses, South Africa, 2004-2014. Emerg Infect Dis 2016 Dec;22(12):2087-2096.
                      doi: 10.3201/eid2212.160718pubmed: 27442883google scholar: lookup
                    24. Lulla V, Lulla A, Wernike K, Aebischer A, Beer M, Roy P. Assembly of Replication-Incompetent African Horse Sickness Virus Particles: Rational Design of Vaccines for All Serotypes. J Virol 2016 Aug 15;90(16):7405-7414.
                      doi: 10.1128/JVI.00548-16pubmed: 27279609google scholar: lookup
                    25. Sergeant ES, Grewar JD, Weyer CT, Guthrie AJ. Quantitative Risk Assessment for African Horse Sickness in Live Horses Exported from South Africa. PLoS One 2016;11(3):e0151757.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151757pubmed: 26986002google scholar: lookup
                    26. Paillot R. A Systematic Review of Recent Advances in Equine Influenza Vaccination. Vaccines (Basel) 2014 Nov 14;2(4):797-831.
                      doi: 10.3390/vaccines2040797pubmed: 26344892google scholar: lookup
                    27. Sánchez-Sampedro L, Perdiguero B, Mejías-Pérez E, García-Arriaza J, Di Pilato M, Esteban M. The evolution of poxvirus vaccines. Viruses 2015 Apr 7;7(4):1726-803.
                      doi: 10.3390/v7041726pubmed: 25853483google scholar: lookup
                    28. Kanai Y, van Rijn PA, Maris-Veldhuis M, Kaname Y, Athmaram TN, Roy P. Immunogenicity of recombinant VP2 proteins of all nine serotypes of African horse sickness virus. Vaccine 2014 Sep 3;32(39):4932-7.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.031pubmed: 25045805google scholar: lookup
                    29. Alberca B, Bachanek-Bankowska K, Cabana M, Calvo-Pinilla E, Viaplana E, Frost L, Gubbins S, Urniza A, Mertens P, Castillo-Olivares J. Vaccination of horses with a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) expressing African horse sickness (AHS) virus major capsid protein VP2 provides complete clinical protection against challenge. Vaccine 2014 Jun 17;32(29):3670-4.
                      doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.036pubmed: 24837765google scholar: lookup
                    30. Bachanek-Bankowska K, Maan S, Castillo-Olivares J, Manning NM, Maan NS, Potgieter AC, Di Nardo A, Sutton G, Batten C, Mertens PP. Real time RT-PCR assays for detection and typing of African horse sickness virus. PLoS One 2014;9(4):e93758.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093758pubmed: 24721971google scholar: lookup
                    31. de la Poza F, Calvo-Pinilla E, López-Gil E, Marín-López A, Mateos F, Castillo-Olivares J, Lorenzo G, Ortego J. Ns1 is a key protein in the vaccine composition to protect Ifnar(-/-) mice against infection with multiple serotypes of African horse sickness virus. PLoS One 2013;8(7):e70197.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070197pubmed: 23894615google scholar: lookup
                    32. Lo Iacono G, Robin CA, Newton JR, Gubbins S, Wood JL. Where are the horses? With the sheep or cows? Uncertain host location, vector-feeding preferences and the risk of African horse sickness transmission in Great Britain. J R Soc Interface 2013 Jun 6;10(83):20130194.
                      doi: 10.1098/rsif.2013.0194pubmed: 23594817google scholar: lookup
                    33. Top S, Foulon E, Pignolet B, Deplanche M, Caubet C, Tasca C, Bertagnoli S, Meyer G, Foucras G. Infection of nonhost species dendritic cells in vitro with an attenuated myxoma virus induces gene expression that predicts its efficacy as a vaccine vector. J Virol 2011 Dec;85(24):12982-94.
                      doi: 10.1128/JVI.00128-11pubmed: 21835800google scholar: lookup
                    34. Castillo-Olivares J, Calvo-Pinilla E, Casanova I, Bachanek-Bankowska K, Chiam R, Maan S, Nieto JM, Ortego J, Mertens PP. A modified vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) vaccine expressing African horse sickness virus (AHSV) VP2 protects against AHSV challenge in an IFNAR -/- mouse model. PLoS One 2011 Jan 26;6(1):e16503.
                      doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016503pubmed: 21298069google scholar: lookup
                    Subscribe to our newsletter
                    Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.