Efficacy of a vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein recombinant virus vaccine in raccoons (Procyon lotor).
Raccoon rabies exists in epizootic proportions in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, but efficacious oral vaccines for control of rabies in this important vector have not been previously demonstrated. Alternatively, a vaccinia recombinant virus vaccine (V-RG) expressing the ERA (Evelyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth) rabies virus glycoprotein was highly immunogenic for laboratory animals and raccoons by the intradermal, intramuscular, and oral routes. Raccoons that ate a synthetic sponge bait containing 1.0 mL (10(8) pfu/mL) of V-RG were completely (eight of eight) or 80% (eight of 10) protected from challenge with street rabies virus at 30 and 205 days after ingestion, respectively. In laboratory contact trials limited V-RG transmission occurred between animals that were rabies seronegative and those that were orally immunized and seropositive. After ingestion of bait, V-RG virus was recovered from buccal mucosa, tonsil, and parotid or submandibular lymph nodes of raccoons within 24-48 hours of oral immunization but not thereafter. Adult and immature raccoons showed no adverse clinical signs or gross or microscopic lesions attributable to V-RG vaccination at any time.
Rupprecht
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Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
Hamir
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Johnston
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Koprowski
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D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011820:Rabies virus; D011821:Raccoons / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014616:Vaccinia virus; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins
D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D014612:Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins