Bacterial packaging strains useful for generating recombinant double-stranded RNA nucleocapsids (rdsRNs) are provided. The packaging strains are useful for the production of RNA encoding vaccine antigens, bioactive proteins, immunoregulatory proteins, antisense RNAs, and catalytic RNAs in eukaryotic cells or tissues. Recombinant ssRNA is introduced into the strains and packaged to form rdsRNs de novo. The packaging strains and rdsRNs may also comprise nucleic acid sequences that stabilize a closed loop eukaryotic translation complex; nucleic acid sequences encoding one or more proteins that interfere with a host cell type I interferon (IFN) response; as well as recombinant alphavirus replicons encoding a protein complex specific for plus strand RNA- dependent synthesis of minus strand RNA.