Attenuated live vaccines

1. An attenuated tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE virus) live vaccine comprising a TBE virus mutant, wherein the TBE virus mutant has a deletion in the capsid protein of

(a) 5 to 20 successive amino acids, or

(b) more than 20 successive amino acids, wherein the capsid protein additionally comprises one or more further mutations by which the hydrophobicity of the capsid protein is increased, the further mutation being selected from

i) point mutations by which the hydrophobicity of the capsid protein is increased, and/or

ii) insertions of amino acid sections having predominantly hydrophobic properties, and

wherein the deletion concerns regions of the internal hydrophobic domain of the capsid protein and wherein the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region is not affected by the deletion.

2. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 1 wherein 5 to 20 or up to 70 successive amino acids in the capsid protein are deleted.

3. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 1 , wherein the insertions of amino acid sections having predominantly hydrophobic properties are duplications of hydrophobic regions of the capsid protein.

4. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 1 , wherein the vaccine comprises 10 1 to 10 7 , 10 2 to 10 6 or 10 3 to 10 5 infectious units of TBE virus.

5. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 1 , wherein the vaccine further comprises antibiotics, preservatives, stabilizers, buffer substances or mixtures thereof.

6. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 5 , wherein the vaccine comprises neomycin, kanamycin, thimerosal, human albumin, lactose-sorbitol, sorbitol-gelatin, polygeline, MgCl 2 , MgSO 4 , amino acids, polysaccharides, buffer salts or mixtures thereof.

7. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 1 , wherein the vaccine is produced in non-transformed host cells.

8. A tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE virus) vaccine, wherein the vaccine comprises a nucleic acid which codes for a deleted capsid protein that comprises a deletion of

(a) 5 to 20 successive amino acids, or

(b) more than 20 successive amino acids, wherein the capsid protein additionally comprises one or more further mutations by which the hydrophobicity of the capsid protein is increased, the further mutation being selected from

i) point mutations by which the hydrophobicity of the capsid protein is increased, and/or

ii) insertions of amino acid sections having predominantly hydrophobic properties, and

wherein the deletion concerns regions of the internal hydrophobic domain of the capsid protein and wherein the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region is not affected by the deletion.

9. The TBE virus vaccine according to claim 8 , wherein the vaccine further comprises aminoglycoside antibiotics, neomycin, kanamycin, liposomes, microspheres or mixtures thereof.

10. A method of producing an attenuated tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE virus) live vaccine comprising a TBE virus mutant according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:

providing a TBE virus or a TBE virus nucleic acid, wherein the TBE virus or the TBE virus nucleic acid has a deletion in the capsid protein and further mutations as defined in claim 1 ,

propagating the TBE virus or the TBE virus nucleic acid in suitable host cells,

recovering the virus particles propagated by the host cells, and

working up the virus particles to a live vaccine.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the host cell is selected from the group consisting of chicken embryo cells, primary chicken embryo cells, human diploid cell lines, vero cells, primary hamster kidney cells, primary canine kidney cells or diploid fetal rhesus lung cells.

12. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 2 , wherein 6 to 20 or up to 25 successive amino acids in the capsid protein are deleted.

13. The TBE virus live vaccine according to claim 12 , wherein 7 to 20 successive amino acids in the capsid protein are deleted.