Recombinant packaging defective Sindbis virus vaccines

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a recombinant virus particle vaccine comprising a recombinant molecule packaged in an alphavirus coat. A preferred recombinant molecule of the present invention comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a protective compound (e.g. a protective protein or a protective RNA) capable of protecting an animal from a disease, such that the nucleic acid sequence is operatively linked to a packaging-defective alphavirus expression vector that is capable of directing replication and transcription of the recombinant molecule. The invention also includes methods to produce and use such vaccines to protect animals from disease, particularly from disease caused by protozoan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, helminth parasites, ectoparasites, fungi, bacteria, or viruses.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.