The present invention is directed to novel promiscuous and artificial T helper cell epitopes (Th epitopes) designed to provide optimum immunogenicity of a target antigenic site. The target antigenic site can include a B cell epitope, a CTL epitope, a peptide hapten, a non-peptide hapten, or any immunologically reactive analogue thereof. The disclosed Th epitopes, when covalently linked to a target antigenic site in a peptide immunogen construct, elicit a strong B cell antibody response or an effector T cell response to the target antigenic site. The Th epitopes are immunosilent on their own, i.e., little, if any, of the antibodies generated by the peptide immunogen constructs will be directed towards the Th epitope, thus allowing a very focused immune response directed to the targeted antigenic site. The promiscuous artificial Th epitopes provide effective and safe peptide immunogens that do not generate inflammatory, anti-self, cell-mediated immune responses following administration.

The present invention relates to a new pestivirus useful in the fields of veterinary virology and vaccines. Specifically, it relates to an isolated polynucleotide originating from pestivirus and a pestivirus, to vaccines and medical uses thereof, to chimeric virus comprising the polynucleotide and to expression vectors for heterologous expression of polypeptides.

A vector comprising a BPI3Vc backbone and at least one antigenic insert sequence from a pathogen other than BPI3V is provided. The vector is configured to provide protection against BPI3V as well as against the pathogen from which the insert sequence was obtained.

A vaccine delivery method is presented that includes a composition including as one component a slurry matrix that is a liquid at room temperature and a gel at physiological pH, physiological salt concentrations and/or physiological temperatures and as a second component one or more antigens. Also included are methods of inducing an immune response in a subject and vaccinating a subject by administering such compositions.

Provided is a swine fever antigen fused with a porcine Fc fragment, and more particularly, to a vaccine composition having an autoimmune-enhancing effect by binding the Fc fragment to a swine fever antigen, and a preparation method thereof.

The present invention relates the field of animal health. Particularly, the present invention relates to a recombinant classical swine fever virus E2 protein in which a fragment comprising at least one of the amino acids defining the 6B8 epitope of the CSFV E2 protein is replaced by a corresponding fragment of the E2 protein from a pestivirus other than CSFV. Further, the present invention provides an immunogenic composition comprising the recombinant E2 protein of the present invention and the use of the immunogenic composition for preventing and/or treating diseases associated with CSFV in an animal. Moreover, the present invention provides a method and a kit for differentiating animals infected with CSFV from animals vaccinated with the immunogenic composition of the present invention.

Provided are a recombinant classical swine fever virus comprising at least one substitution within the epitope of the E2 protein specifically recognized by the 6B8 monoclonal antibody, an immunogenic composition comprising said CSFV, the use of said immunogenic composition for preventing and/or treating diseases associated with CSFV in an animal, a method or a kit for differentiating animals infected with CSFV from animals vaccinated with said immunogenic composition, and an attenuated classical swine fever viruses.

The present invention relates to a novel porcine pestivirus, to proteins of the virus and to vaccines based upon the virus and proteins thereof. The invention also relates to DNA fragments comprising a gene of the virus and to DNA vaccines based upon genes of the virus. Furthermore the invention relates to antibodies that are reactive with the novel virus and to diagnostic tests for the detection of the virus or antibodies against the virus.

The present invention relates to the field of veterinary diagnostics, specifically to a test for the detection of antibodies against CSFV. In particular the invention relates to a method for detecting antibodies against wild type CSFV in a test sample, characterized in that the method comprises co-incubating with a carrier comprising a mutated TAVSPTTLR epitope of CSFV E2 protein. Further, the invention relates to a diagnostic test kit, and to the use of the method according to the invention. In addition the invention relates to a method for differentiating between animals infected with wild type CSFV and animals that were vaccinated against CSFV with a CSFV (marker) vaccine, and to a method for controlling an infection with wild type CSFV in a population of porcine animals, by the combined use of a CSFV (marker) vaccine and the diagnostic test kit of the invention.

The present invention describes compositions and methods for priming protective immunity in the presence of pre-existing maternal antibody. In some embodiments, the invention contemplates simultaneously masking vaccines to avoid antibody neutralization while targeting those vaccines to specific cell types in order to elicit an enhanced immune response. In other embodiments, vectors that recruit and activate specific antigen-presenting cells may further enhance the efficacy of those immune responses.