Oncolytic bovine herpesvirus type 1 as a broad spectrum cancer therapeutic

•BHV-1 infects and kills human tumor cells from a variety of histological origins.•BHV-1 infects and kills human breast tumor cells irrespective of subtype.•BHV-1 reduces BCIC viability and their ability to form tumors in vivo.•BHV-1 and 5-Aza combination therapy significantly reduces breast secondary lesions.

Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in tumor cells and elicit antitumor effects in vivo by both direct and indirect methods. They are attractive avenues of cancer therapy due to the absence of toxic side effects often seen in current treatment modalities. Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) holds promise as a broad-spectrum oncolytic vector that is able to infect and kill human tumor cells from a variety of histological origins, including cancer-initiating cells. In the majority of cases, BHV-1 elicits tumor cell death in the absence of a productive infection. In vivo, BHV-1 affects the incidence of secondary lesions in cotton rats bearing subcutaneous breast adenocarcinomas. These recent studies contribute to the characterization of BHV-1 as an oncolytic virus.