Identification of antigenic epitopes on the F and G glycoproteins of bovine respiratory syncytial virus and in vitro assessment of their synthetic peptide vaccine potential

Globally, bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the principal reason for mortality of calves over one month of age despite the availability of various vaccines on the UK market. Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) was first discovered in the 1970s and is now considered a principal pathogen implicated in the disease complex. Outbreaks occur annually and re-infections are common even in the presence of maternal antibodies. Difficulties have arisen from using both live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines and recent efforts have focused on the development of sub-unit vaccines that are suitable for use in neonatal calves with maternally-derived circulating antibodies. This study was undertaken to identify antigenic epitopes on two of the surface glycoproteins of BRSV, the fusion (F) and attachment (G) proteins, the major surface viral antigens, for inclusion into a novel subunit peptide vaccine. Sequencing and antigenicity prediction of the F and G genes of BRSV revealed 21 areas of potential antigenicity; of which genuine peptide/antisera binding occurred with 4 peptides. Identification of the antigenic components of a vaccine is an important first step in the development of novel BRSV vaccines and this data, therefore, provides the basis for the generation of such vaccines.