The present invention relates to a vaccine for immunizing a cat against feline viruses. The present invention also relates to a
nucleic acid clone that encodes the
capsid protein of the isolated feline calicivirus. The present invention further relates to a live or
killed vaccine comprising the isolated feline calicivirus, a
subunit vaccine comprising the
capsid protein of the isolated feline calicivirus, a
nucleic acid vaccine comprising a
nucleic acid clone of the isolated feline calicivirus, and a
recombinant virus vector vaccine comprising nucleic acid encoding the
capsid protein of the isolated feline calicivirus. The present invention also relates to a method for identifying a feline calicivirus useful for producing a vaccine composition and for assays for diagnosing cats infected with feline calicivirus. Also disclosed is a method of immunizing animals, especially cats, against
disease, in particular against feline calicivirus (FCV). The method includes administering to a cat therapeutically effective amounts of first and second FCV vaccines. The first vaccine is administered orally or parenterally (e.g., subcutaneously, intramuscularly, and the like). The second vaccine is administered orally or oronasally N days following administration of the first vaccine, wherein N is an integer from 3 to 120, inclusive. A third
vaccine administration may also be given. The present invention also describes methods and materials for treating and immunizing animals with vaccine, and in particular cats against both FPV or
Feline Parvovirus, which has also been called Panleukopenia or FPL and against another
disease, FHV or Feline
Herpes Virus, which has also been called Feline Rhinotracheitis
Virus.