Delta G-luciferase is a replication-restricted, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) that can be used to produce pseudotype viruses containing the envelope glycoproteins from a wide variety of heterologous viruses, including those that require BSL-3 or BSL-4 biocontainment; however, because the infectivity of rVSV-Delta G pseudotypes is restricted to a single round of replication, the pseudotypes can be handled using BSL-2 containment practices.