| abstract |
The present invention provides a purified preparation containing a polynucleic acid encoding at least one polypeptide selected from the group consisting of proteins encoded by one or more open reading frames (ORF's) of an Iowa strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), proteins homologous with those encoded by one or more of the ORF's, antigenic regions of such proteins which are at least 5 amino acids in length and which effectively stimulate immunological protection in a porcine host against a subsequent challenge with a PRRSV isolate, and combinations thereof, in which amino acids non-essential for antigenicity may be conservatively substituted. The present invention also concerns a polypeptide encoded by such a polynucleic acid, a vaccine comprising an effective amount of such a polynucleic acid or protein, antibodies which specifically bind to such a polynucleic acid or protein; methods of producing the same; and methods of raising an effective immunological response against PRRSV, treating a pig infected by PRRSV, and detecting PRRSV. |