Recombination in vivo of pseudorabies vaccine strains to produce new virus strains

Herpesvirus suis (pseudorabies virus, PRV) has been the focus of intensive genetic engineering efforts and several effective genetically recombinant modified live virus PRV vaccines have resulted 1,2. The likelihood and consequences of complementation and/or genetic recombination in vivo between genetically engineered and conventionally derived vaccine strains of PRV are essentially unknown. In this study, two vaccine strains of PRV with complementary gene deletions were co-inoculated into sheep. It reports that avirulent vaccine strains of PRV (genetically engineered and conventionally attenuated) recombined in vivo, resulting in the production of a new and undesirable strain of PRV. The present study exemplifies the need for thorough assessment of genetically engineered micro-organisms in the animal environment.