Potential of Bovine Herpesvirus Vectors for Recombinant Vaccines

The livestock industry experiences significant economic losses as a result of viral infections. Building on recent advances in biotechnological research, recombinant viral vector vaccines have emerged as promising platforms for next-generation vaccines. These vaccines can overcome many limitations of conventional vaccines, as they provide stronger protective immune profiles, stability, and improved safety profiles for various diseases. Bovine herpesviruses serve as viral vector platforms utilized due to their large genome capacity, potential for multigenic antigen delivery, and significant immune stimulation. In this review, we explored the structural characteristics and genomic organization of bovine alphaherpesviruses (BoHV-1, BoHV-4, and BoHV-5), covered BoHV-5 biology and attenuation strategies as part of the comparative platform analysis, and summarised the latest advancements in molecular tools used for viral genome editing. We further highlight the development of vaccines against bovine and zoonotic pathogens, discuss applications of BoHV-based vectors, and deliberate on future directions to improve vaccine efficacy. It also discussed the current state of research in the field, considered prospects, and outlined strategies for impending research. BoHV vectors are promising candidates as next-generation vaccine platforms in veterinary medicine and will play an important role in integrated disease control in livestock.