Replication-competent bacterial artificial chromosomes of Marek's disease virus: novel tools for generation of molecularly defined herpesvirus vaccines.

ABSTRACT: Marek's disease (MD), a highly infectious disease caused by an oncogenic herpesvirus, is one of the few herpesvirus diseases against which live attenuated vaccines are used as the main strategy for control. We have constructed bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) of the CVI988 (Rispens) strain of the virus, the most widely used and effective vaccine against MD. Viruses derived from the BAC clones were stable after in vitro and in vivo passages and showed characteristics and growth kinetics similar to those of the parental virus. Molecular analysis of the individual BAC clones showed differences in the structure of the meq gene, indicating that the commercial vaccine contains virus populations with distinct genomic structures. We also demonstrate that, contrary to the published data, the

SUBMITTER: Petherbridge L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC167215 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature