The invention relates to the field of so-called “host cell-associated herpes viruses,” such as Marek's disease-like virus (MDV) of poultry and Varicella Zoster virus (VZV) of man, and to vaccination against disease caused by these viruses. The invention provides a vaccine directed against an infection caused by a herpes virus that is essentially host cell-associated comprising a recombinant viral genome derived from the herpes virus, the genome allowing recombination essentially free of the host cell.
