The vaccine uses canarypox (which is innocuous to mammals) as a vector for introducing a tiny amount of WNV DNA to the animal's cells to quickly induce a long-lasting immunity.
A new West Nile virus (WNV) equine recombinant canarypox vaccine awaits USDA approval, and once available, could pave the way for a new generation of equine vaccines in the United States. Merial developed this Recombitek equine WNV technology, and assembled a group of researchers, clinicians, and private practitioners in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 19, 2003, to review WNV and the research behind the technology.