Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy of a mucosal vaccination strategy using a BoHV-4 vector expressing CpHV-1 glycoprotein D in providing protection against CpHV-1 infection in goats.

Approach:

• Vaccination Strategy: Goats were immunized via intravaginal or intranasal routes using a prime–boost regimen with a BoHV-4 vector expressing CpHV-1 gD.
• Challenge and Analysis: Following immunization, goats were challenged intravaginally with virulent CpHV-1, and ex vivo tissue analyses were conducted.

Key Findings:

• Both intravaginal and intranasal immunization routes conferred complete protection against CpHV-1 disease.
• Vaccinated goats showed no fever or genital pathology post-challenge, unlike unvaccinated controls.
• Viral shedding was significantly reduced in vaccinated goats, with intravaginal immunization showing superior control of genital virus excretion.
• Both routes induced CpHV-1–specific systemic antibody responses, with higher neutralizing titers observed after intranasal vaccination.

Interpretation:

The study demonstrates that BoHV-4–based vectors can effectively induce protective immunity against genital herpesvirus infection through mucosal vaccination.

Conclusion:

The findings support the potential of BoHV-4 as a versatile vaccine platform for sexually transmitted infections and establish the goat–CpHV-1 model as a valuable system for preclinical evaluation.