The present invention relates to multivalent recombinant raccoon
poxviruses, containing more than one exogenous gene inserted into either
the thymidine kinase gene, the hemagglutinin gene, or a combination
thereof. Disclosed is the use of the multivalent recombinant raccoon
poxviruses as vaccines to immunize felines against subsequent challenge
by feline pathogens. Also disclosed is a method of making a multivalent
recombinant raccoon poxvirus by a recombination process involving the
construction of an insertion vector into which the exogenous genes are
inserted, and flanking the inserted genes are sequences which can
recombine into the raccoon poxvirus thymidine kinase gene, or the
hemagglutinin gene, or a combination thereof; introducing both the
insertion vector containing the exogenous genes, and raccoon poxvirus
into susceptible host cells; and selecting the recombinant raccoon
poxvirus from the resultant plaques.