Method of inducing an immune response with a live Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus expressing a heterologous immunogen

A method of protecting a subject against a disease, comprising:

• administering a recombinant Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) virus to said subject in an effective immunogenic amount, with said VEE virus containing at least one attenuating mutation selected from the group consisting of codons at E2 amino acid position 76 which specify an attenuating mutation, codons at E2 amino acid position 209 which specify an attenuating mutation, codons at E2 amino acid 120 which specify an attenuating mutation;
• a G to C mutation at vital RNA nucleotide 3;
• Codons at E1 amino acid 272 which specify an attenuating mutation;
• codons at E1 amino acid 81 which specify an attenuating mutation;
• and codons at E1 amino acid 253 which specify an attenuating mutation, and with said VEE virus containing a heterologous RNA segment, said heterologous RNA segment comprising a promoter operable in said subject operatively associated with a RNA encoding an immunogenic protein or peptide effective for protecting said subject from said disease.