METHOD OF INDUCING AN IMMUNE RESPONSE WITH A LIVE VENEZUELAN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS EXPRESSING A HETEROLOGOUS IMMUNOGEN

摘要

A method of protecting a subject against a disease comprises adminstering a recombinant Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) Virus to the subject in an effective immunogenic amount, with the VEE virus containing a heterologous RNA segment, and with the heterologous segment comprising a promoter operable in the subject operatively associated with a sequence encoding an immunogenic protein or peptide effective for protecting the subject from the disease. Preferred promoters are VEE 26S subgenomic promoters, and preferred immunogens are viral immunogens. Novel attenuating mutations useful in carrying out the invention are also disclosed.