Ebook: Recombinant Poxviruses

The aim of this book is to bring together in one volume comprehensive reviews about recombinant poxviruses with an emphasis on the potential of these viruses as new vaccines. A wide range of issues involved in producing new genetically engineered live vaccines are considered, such as efficacy,safety, stability, cost, host range, immune response, immunization route, use of multivalent vaccines, and need for revaccination. The opening chapter describes the origin of vaccinia virus, its use to eradicate smallpox, and the pathogenesis of poxvirus infections. Thereafter the molecular biology of poxviruses, the methods of contructing vaccinia virus recombinants, and the many ways in which they may be used are described. The use of poxvirus recombinants as live vaccines, the immune responses induced by these viruses, and the results of field trials with vaccinia-rabies virus recombinants are then considered. Subsequently, the important issues of the safety and immunogenicity
of vaccinia virus are described, and lastly, two chapters report the progress that has been made developing avipoxviruses and parapoxviruses as candidate recombinant vaccines.