Autogenous replicon particle (ARP) vaccines for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrom virus (PRRSV)

There is a clear and immediate need for improved PRRSV vaccines. PRRS is estimated to cost pork producers in the U.S. nearly $600 million annually and with a national eradication effort being proposed, the need for a second generation vaccine tool that is effective and safe is crucial. The use of a vector such as replicon particles (RP) merges subunit and modified live technologies to safely induce protective immunity by mimicking natural infection. The PD and collaborators have recently demonstrated the effectiveness of using RP vaccines in pigs and the importance of co-expressing PRRSV GP5 and M proteins in protection against PRRS. We have also described a method of producing autogenous replicon particle (ARP) vaccines using clinical samples from infected pigs. In this study, the feasibility of producing ARP vaccines in a timely matter will be studied and compared to the production time of traditional autogenous vaccines. The effectiveness and safety of the PRRSV ARP vaccine will be determined via comparison to currently available vaccines for PRRS including modified live vaccine (MLV) and traditional autogenous killed vaccine. It is anticipated that the PRRSV ARP vaccine along with the advantages of safety, specificity, and decreased production time will exhibit comparable or superior performance compared to other vaccines in a vaccination-challenge model and as measured by clinical signs, lesions, and viral load. We believe that a novel competitive PRRSV product would generate rapid market share growth due to improved production for the customer and compatibility with eradication programs.