Disclosed herein is a strategy for the engineering of recombinant vaccines against major human and animal pathogens of the paramyxovirus family. Also disclosed are recombinant virus able to replicate without being pathogenic. Also disclosed is a method of immunizing a subject against infection with a that involves administering to the subject a recombinant vaccine disclosed herein.

Disclosed herein is a strategy for the engineering of recombinant vaccines against major human and animal pathogens of the paramyxovirus family. Also disclosed are recombinant virus able to replicate without being pathogenic. Also disclosed is a method of immunizing a subject against infection with a that involves administering to the subject a recombinant vaccine disclosed herein.

Nipah henipavirus (NiV) virus replicon particles (VRPs) are disclosed herein. These VRPs can be used to induce an immune response to NiV or Hendra virus (HeV). In some embodiments, the NiV VRP include a recombinant NiV genome, wherein the recombinant NiV genome comprises a deletion in a nucleic acid sequence encoding the F protein such that functional mature F protein cannot be produced from the recombinant NiV genome; and a NiV envelope comprising F, G and M proteins of NiV. These VRP can infect human cells but cannot produce NiV particles from the infected human cells. Immunogenic compositions including the NiV VRP are also disclosed. In some embodiments, methods are disclosed for producing NiV VRP. The use of the disclosed NiV VRP to induce an immune response is also disclosed.