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 a technique of preparing a vaccine composition from PCV2 isolated from a plant transformed with a chlorophyll-targeting recombinant vector for expression in plants and provides a recombinant vector carrying a polynucleotide coding for a recombinant protein in which a chlorophyll-targeting protein and a PCV2 capsid protein are fused to each other. In addition, provided are a transgenic plant transformed with the recombinant vector, a method for isolating and purifying a target protein from the transgenic plant, a method for preparing a vaccine composition containing virus-like particles by using same, and a vaccine composition prepared by the preparation method.

The present invention relates to methods of producing porcine circovirus (PCV) pseudovirions in plant cells, the plant-produced PCV pseudovirions, a neutralisation assay using the plant-produced PCV pseudovirions and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the plant produced PCV pseudovirions. In particular, the method of the invention relates to introducing expression vectors, replicating vectors and nucleic acids into the plant cell and allowing for expression of capsid proteins and replication of the replicating vector. The expressed PCV capsid polypeptides assemble, together with a single-stranded copy of the replicating vector and encapsidate it as a pseudogenome to produce a PCV pseudovirion.

A vaccine composition for preventing and/or treating porcine circovirus infection is described, which comprises an immunogenic amount of porcine circovirus type 3 antigen, an immunogenic amount of porcine circovirus type 2 antigen and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The vaccine composition can not only prevent and/or treat related diseases caused by infection or mixed infection of different gene subtypes of porcine circovirus, but also have immunoprotective effects against strains of different geographical origins.

Vaccination methods to control PCV2 infection with different PCV2 subtypes are disclosed. Specifically, a PCV2 subtype b (PCV2b) ORF2 proteins or immunogenic compositions comprising a PCV2b ORF2 protein are used in a method for the treatment or prevention of an infection with PCV2 of the same PCV2b and/or different subtype; the reduction, prevention or treatment of clinical signs caused by an infection with PCV2 of the same PCV2b or a different subtype; and/or the prevention or treatment of a disease caused by an infection with PCV2 of the same PCV2b and/or a different subtype. The present invention in particular relates to PCV2 subtype b (PCV2b) ORF2 proteins characterized in that they contain at least one mutation in the BC loop that such that the expressed protein is preferably expressed in a higher amount compared to a PCV2 ORF2 protein that does not contain such mutation.

The present invention pertains to a vaccine comprising an ORF2 encoded protein of porcine circo virus 2 (PCV2) and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, for use in a method to protect a pig against an infection with porcine circo virus type 2 by administering the vaccine to the pig, wherein the vaccine comprises less than 20 μg per dose of the ORF2 encoded protein, the protein being of a porcine circo virus of genotype 2b.

The present invention relates to a combination vaccine for swine, comprising non-replicating antigen from porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), and live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV); the combination vaccine is formulated as an oil-in-water emulsion, and is adjuvated with squalane and vitamin E-acetate. This combination vaccine was found to be immunologically effective against all pathogens: PCV2, and PRRSV.

A new species of circovirus, porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3), was identified from sows with clinical symptoms normally associated with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection and in aborted fetuses. Molecular and serological analyses suggest PCV3 commonly circulates in U.S. swine. The present disclosure provides immunological compositions and methods related to the production and administration of such compositions.

The present invention provides combination vaccines that comprise an immunological agent effective for reducing the incidence of or lessening the severity of PPE caused by L. intracellularis, and one or more immunological active components effective in treatment and/or prophylaxis of at least one further disease-causing organism for swine. Moreover, the present invention also relates to a kit that comprises an immunological agent effective for reducing the incidence of or lessening the severity of PPE caused by L. intracellularis, and one or more immunological active components effective in treatment and/or prophylaxis of at least one further disease-causing organism for swine.

The present invention relates to novel recombinant swinepox viruses and their use in vaccine compositions. The recombinant swinepox viruses of the invention are doubly defective for IL18bp and TK genes, and comprise at least one foreign gene cloned into defective TK gene sequence. The invention is particularly suited to produce swine vaccines, particularly for vaccinating swine against PCV2 infection.