Patent ID: 8828406

Claim:
A recombinant influenza virus comprising a) a first chimeric influenza virus gene segment comprising, in 3′ to 5′ order: (i) a 3′ non-coding region of a first type of influenza virus gene segment; (ii) a 3′ proximal coding region of the first type of influenza virus gene segment, wherein any start codon in the 3′ proximal coding region of the first influenza virus gene segment is mutated; (iii) an open reading frame of a second type of influenza virus gene segment, wherein at least one packaging signal in the 3′ or 5′ proximal nucleotides in the open reading frame is mutated; (iv) a 5′ proximal coding region of the first type of influenza virus gene segment; and (v) a 5′ non-coding region of the first type of influenza virus gene segment; and b) a second chimeric influenza virus gene segment comprising, in 3′ to 5′ order: (i) a 3′ non-coding region of the second type of influenza virus gene segment; (ii) a 3′ proximal coding region of the second type of influenza virus gene segment, wherein any start codon in the 3′ proximal coding region of the second influenza virus gene segment is mutated; (iii) an open reading frame of the first type of influenza virus gene segment, wherein at least one packaging signal in the 3′ or 5′ proximal nucleotides in the open reading frame is mutated; (iv) a 5′ proximal coding region of the second type of influenza virus gene segment; and (v) a 5′ non-coding region of the second type of influenza virus influenza gene segment.