Bluetongue vaccine: cells and/or antibodies.

Immunological studies with bluetongue virus have indicated that protection from re-infection involves components of both the humoral and cellular immune response. However, it was found that the humoral response was type-specific, whilst the cellular immune response, particularly through the action of cross-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes, gave rise to heterotypic protection. Work involving simultaneous and sequential inoculation of live virus and the inoculation of various inactivated preparations has further characterized the type of vaccine formulation needed for efficient protection in multitype endemic areas. The authors cite these studies on bluetongue virus as an example of an immunological approach to vaccine design that is too often ignored by vaccine manufacturers and yet clearly yields results.