Chimeric flaviviruses

A method of producing a recombinant flavivirus comprising at least one envelope hinge region mutation that reduces viscerotropism of said flavivirus, as compared to the viscerotropism of the flavivirus in the absence of the mutation, said method comprising introducing into said flavivirus a mutation that results in decreased viscerotropism, wherein the flavivirus into which the mutation is introduced comprises a chimeric flavivirus comprising yellow fever virus capsid and non-structural proteins, and pre-membrane and envelope proteins from a Dengue virus, and the mutation resulting in reduced viscerotropism that is introduced into the chimeric flavivirus is in an amino acid selected from the group consisting of amino acids 202 or 204 of the dengue virus envelope protein.

A chimeric flavivirus comprising capsid and non-structural proteins of a first flavivirus and pre-membrane and envelope proteins of a dengue virus comprising a mutation in envelope amino acid position 202 or 204.