The present invention relates to novel recombinant swinepox viruses and their use in vaccine compositions. The recombinant swinepox viruses of the invention encode a PCV3 antigen and may be used as vaccines.

Provided is an antigen fused with a porcine Fc fragment, a vaccine composition having a self-adjuvanting effect by binding an Fc fragment to various antigens, and a method of producing the antigen.

This invention provides new compositions comprising nucleotide sequence(s) encoding alphaherpesvirus glycoprotein D protein(s) (gDP(s)) and antigen(s) that induce immune responses. Such sequences typically encode gDP:antigen fusion proteins and typically also include feature(s) that significantly enhance immune responses such as (a) sequences encoding ITIC signal transducing adaptor proteins, e.g., SLAM-associated proteins (SAPs), Ewing's sarcoma-associated transcript 2 proteins, or both, or non-gDP checkpoint inhibitor(s); (b) sequences encoding antigen-associated targeting sequences, e.g., polyubiquitin sequences; (c) deimmunized/modified antigen-encoding sequences; (d) gDP(s) with modified sequence(s); (e) expression-enhancing introns; (f) transfection-facilitating agents; or (g) combinations thereof. Methods of using such constructs to induce immune responses and other methods and compositions also are provided, including methods of using such constructs in animals not known to express Herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) receptors (e.g., pigs), animals not under disease agent-associated checkpoint inhibition, and other contexts.

The present invention relates to the field of veterinary vaccines, in particular to porcine vaccines against PCV2 and associated diseases. Specifically the invention relates to the finding that a mutation is required in PCV2b ORF2 protein, to prevent its nuclear accumulation upon expression in insect cells; the mutation introduces a Proline at amino acid position 131. This allows efficient expression in insect cells, easy harvesting, and generates large amounts of virus-like particles. The VLPs are highly effective in vaccines for porcines for reduction of infection by PCV2 or of associated signs of disease.

The present invention relates to an immunogen-carrier, wherein the immunogen-carrier is preferably a virus-like particle (VLP) composed of a plurality of a modified PCV2 ORF2 protein. In particular, the present invention belongs to the field of compliance markers and marker vaccines which allow for the differentiation between infected and vaccinated individuals. In particular, it relates to a compliance marker for vaccines including a subunit antigen, and a DIVA (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals) system which makes it possible to differentiate between animals infected with a pathogen and animals treated with a subunit antigen derived from said pathogen.

A light funnel collimator has a central lens surface and a back reflecting surface, shaped to provide a wider background beam and a narrower hotspot beam within but off-center of the wider beam. One of the beams is on-axis of the collimator, and the other beam is off-axis. The reflector is at least partly asymmetrical relative to the axis, and provides or contributes to the off-axis beam.

Bacteria with tumor-targeting capability express, surface displayed, secreted and/or released modified chimeric therapeutic proteins with enhanced therapeutic activity against a neoplastic tissue including solid tumors, lymphomas and leukemias. The bacteria may be attenuated, non-pathogenic, low pathogenic or a probiotic. The chimeric proteins may be protease sensitive and may optionally be further accompanied by co-expression of a secreted protease inhibitor as a separate molecule or as a fusion.

Provided is an antigen fused with a porcine Fc fragment, a vaccine composition having a self-adjuvanting effect by binding an Fc fragment to various antigens, and a method of producing the antigen.

Provided is a recombinant vector including a porcine Fc fragment. By fusing the porcine Fc fragment with various target proteins by using the recombinant vector of the present invention, not only target proteins may be expressed using various hosts including plants, but the productivity and stability of target proteins may also be increased.

An improved method for recovering the protein expressed by open reading frame 2 from porcine circovirus type 2 is provided. The method generally involves the steps of transfecting recombinant virus containing open reading frame 2 coding sequences into cells contained in growth media, causing the virus to express open reading frame 2, and recovering the expressed protein in the supernate. This recovery should take place beginning approximately 5 days after infection of the cells in order to permit sufficient quantities of recombinant protein to be expressed and secreted from the cell into the growth media. Such methods avoid costly and time consuming extraction procedures required to separate and recover the recombinant protein from within the cells.