An Improved DNA Vaccine Against Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Using CD40L and a Chemical Adjuvant Induces Specific Cytotoxicity in Mice

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) uses many mechanisms to elude the immune system; one of them is spreading intracellularly, even in the presence of specific antiviral antibodies. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are necessary to eliminate the virus. The main preventive strategy is vaccination based on inactivated virus. These vaccines are poor inducers of cellular immune responses, and complicate serological diagnosis and determination of the real prevalence of infection. DNA vaccines are a good option because of the capacity of Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals-(DIVA vaccine)-and may be the best way to induce cytotoxic responses. Although this type of vaccines leads to only weak "