New AHS Vaccine Design Showing Promise

Researchers tested a vaccine created with “reverse genetics” with positive results.
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A vaccine that effectively protects against all nine strains of the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) could be a step closer to helping real-world horses, according to new research published in the journal Vaccine.

The researchers behind the recent study, led by scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in England, and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, used a type of vaccine that possesses all the benefits of a traditional vaccine, but that could eliminate the associated risk factors. The researchers are the first to report a “reverse-genetics”-based vaccine for AHSV.

African horse sickness is a devastating disease affecting species in the horse family. It causes severe respiratory problems and approximately 90% of horses that catch it die within a week. The AHSV is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa although there have also been known outbreaks in Spain and Portugal. The biting midges that transmit the disease are found all across Europe and there is concern regarding the influence of climate change on midge populations potentially spreading to an even larger area.

Veterinarians in many countries use a live vaccine to protect against AHSV. These vaccines are designed to render pathogens harmless and vastly reduce their ability to infect a host. However, like all vaccines, it is not 100% effective and there have been reports of adverse effects in the vaccinated animal

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