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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 12
10.3390/microorganisms13122807
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1

by
Xiaohua Ma
1,†,
Min Zhang
2,†,
Xin Zhang
1,
Ting Qi
1,
Weiguo Zhang
1,
Yang Zhao
1,
Lei Na
1,
Yingzhi Zhang
1,
Xue-Feng Wang
1,* and
Xiaojun Wang
1,3,*
1
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China
2
National Center for Veterinary Culture Collection, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China
3
Institute of Western Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji 831100, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(12), 2807; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122807
Submission received: 28 October 2025 / Revised: 1 December 2025 / Accepted: 6 December 2025 / Published: 9 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Virology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

African horse sickness (AHS) is a lethal vector-borne disease caused by African horse sickness virus (AHSV) and represents a major threat to equine health and the horse industry. In 2020, outbreaks of AHS caused by AHSV serotype 1 (AHSV-1) were reported in Thailand, increasing the risk of AHS introduction into China. Given the safety issues associated with currently available live attenuated AHS vaccines, the development of safer and more effective vaccination strategies is urgently needed. In this study, we constructed a recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) expressing the AHSV-1 VP2 protein as a candidate vaccine, designated rFPV-VP2. The recombinant virus was verified by PCR and Western blot analysis, which confirmed the successful expression of VP2. Preliminary immunization trials were conducted in both mice and horses, and immune responses were evaluated via an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The results revealed that VP2-specific antibodies were successfully induced in the serum of rFPV-VP2-immunized animals. Notably, serum from immunized horses showed specific reactivity with AHSV-1, confirming the induction of AHSV-1-specific immune responses. Therefore, these results demonstrate that rFPV-VP2 is a promising candidate vaccine for AHSV-1 and provide a scientific basis for the development of safer preventive strategies.
Keywords: African horse sickness virus; recombinant fowlpox virus; VP2; immunogenicity African horse sickness virus; recombinant fowlpox virus; VP2; immunogenicity

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ma, X.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, X.; Qi, T.; Zhang, W.; Zhao, Y.; Na, L.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, X.-F.; Wang, X. Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 2807. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122807

AMA Style

Ma X, Zhang M, Zhang X, Qi T, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Na L, Zhang Y, Wang X-F, Wang X. Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(12):2807. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122807

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ma, Xiaohua, Min Zhang, Xin Zhang, Ting Qi, Weiguo Zhang, Yang Zhao, Lei Na, Yingzhi Zhang, Xue-Feng Wang, and Xiaojun Wang. 2025. "Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1" Microorganisms 13, no. 12: 2807. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122807

APA Style

Ma, X., Zhang, M., Zhang, X., Qi, T., Zhang, W., Zhao, Y., Na, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, X.-F., & Wang, X. (2025). Construction and Immunogenicity Evaluation of a Recombinant Fowlpox Virus Expressing VP2 Gene of African Horse Sickness Virus Serotype 1. Microorganisms, 13(12), 2807. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122807

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