Prospects for improved bluetongue vaccines

Bluetongue virus is a substantial health risk to sheep and other ruminants. Livestock can be protected by vaccination, but as described in this Review, current vaccines can have severe drawbacks. New molecular techniques will provide safer and more effective vaccines and allow for better surveillance of the spread of vaccine strains. Bluetongue has been recognized as a viral disease of livestock for more than 100 years. Repeated incursions of Bluetongue into Europe since 1998 have been particularly devastating for highly sensitive European fine-wool sheep breeds, and have resulted in a resurgence of interest in vaccine manufacture. Fortunately, the virus and its serology are well understood and vaccination prevents the disease. However, current vaccines are not without their problems, and many new approaches are being tested to improve the safety and breadth of protection afforded. This Review describes the leading technologies for improved bluetongue vaccines and looks ahead to how advances in other viral vaccines might be applied to this disease.