The Open Antimicrobial Agents Journal

2011, 3 : 37-44
Published online 2011 November 29. DOI: 10.2174/1876518101103010037
Publisher ID: TOANTIMJ-3-37

Pathogenicity for Mice of a Recombinant of Vaccinia Virus and Protection Against Infection with a Lethal Virus

Irina Gurt and Ehud Katz
Chanock Center of Virology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School. P.O. Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120 Israel.

ABSTRACT

The population of the stock of the Lister strain of vaccinia virus, applied in Israel for immunization against smallpox, was found to be heterogeneous. A middle-size plaque (MP) virus was found to be the most attenuated for mice, out of the three variants which we characterized. Previously we found that C-terminal truncation of the A33R viral envelope protein of vaccinia virus leads to an enhanced release of free virus from the infected cells and to attenuation of the virus for mice. A recombinant of the MP variant with such truncation, was now constructed and found to release more progeny virus from the infected cells and slightly more attenuated for mice than its parent virus. This new recombinant of vaccinia virus may be useful when vaccination against smallpox would be required again, in the future.

Keywords:

Lister strain , pathogenicity, protection, vaccinia virus.