As a follow-up study on a previous project, a second-generation bivalent vaccine against pseudorabies virus (PrV) and Nipah virus (NiV) will be developed and tested for its efficacy. For this purpose, a recombinant PrV expressing NiV surface glycoproteins G (attachment) and F (fusion) will be generated. First, the immunogenic effect of the vaccine in pigs will be investigated in comparison to an already developed first generation bivalent PrV-NiV vaccine. In the next step, we will investigate the protective effect of the vaccine against both pathogens. In addition, the thermostability of the vaccine shall be optimized in such a way that a cold chain is not required.
Moreover, a serological lateral flow test (LFT) shall be developed for the discrimination between NiV infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA principle).
