I found the following description on the CDC website about the new Ebola Viral D

Question

I found the following description on the CDC website about the new Ebola Viral Diseases Vaccine that is in trial: “The vaccine being used in STRIVE is rVSV-ZEBOV, or Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Zaire ebolavirus vaccine. To make this vaccine, the vesicular stomatitis virus is weakened by removing one of its genes. That gene is replaced with a single Ebola virus gene.” The vesicular stomatitis virus infects insects, cattle, horses, and pigs. This virus can lead to flu like symptoms in humans

• Please describe what type of vaccine this is, whether this would illicit a natural or an artificial and a passive or an active immune response, and how likely the individual receiving this vaccine is to develop Ebola symptoms. Please justify your answers.

Explanation / Answer

It is a recombinant vaccine (because gene of Ebola virus has been inserted into VSV genome after removing one of the VSV genes). In these types of vaccines, the virulence components of the viral vector are deleted and the genes encoding protective (immunogenic) proteins of the target pathogen are inserted. Therefore, it is likely that the virulence gene of VSV was deleted and the gene encoding major protective protein of Ebola virus was inserted. This will render the VSV non-pathogenic and the vaccine will not cause Ebola because it contains only one gene from Ebola virus and lacks all the other virulence genes of Ebola.

However, since the Ebola gene will produce a protein inside the host, the host will develop active, protective immunity against the disease.

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