Ecology and epidemiology of fox rabies.
Although fox rabies has been reported in every country that has foxes, current foci of fox rabies are limited to Europe and North America. The fox rabies virus has unique characteristics that seem to be the result of adaptation through successive passages, i.e., high pathogenicity for the fox, excretion in saliva of a high proportion of infected animals, and low frequency of postinfection immunity. The spread of fox rabies is greatly favored by the characteristics of the genus Vulpes--ubiquity, broad diet, prolific nature, and its particular ethology and ecology. Animals may be immunized by oral vaccination, but natural mechanisms that also can terminate outbreaks are discussed.
Blancou
J
J
Services Veterinaires, Centre National d'Etudes sur la Rage et la Pathologie des Animaux Sauvages, Malzeville, France.
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004463:Ecology; D005589:Foxes / Q000382:microbiology*; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000472:pathogenicity