title: Impact of Rabies Vaccination History on Attainment of an Adequate Antibody Titre Among Dogs Tested for International Travel Certification, Israel - 2010-2014.
abstract: Rabies is endemic in wildlife or domestic carnivore populations globally. Infection of domestic dogs is of particular concern in many areas. In regions where domestic animals are at risk of exposure to rabies virus, dogs should be routinely vaccinated against rabies to protect both pet and human populations. Many countries require demonstration of an adequate level of serum rabies neutralizing antibodies to permit entry of dogs during international travel. We analysed rabies titres of dogs seeking travel certification in Israel to assess demographic and vaccine history factors associated with antibody titres below the acceptable threshold for travel certification. Having received only one previous rabies vaccination and a longer duration since the most recent vaccination was received were primary risk factors for not achieving an adequate rabies virus neutralizing antibody titre for travel certification. These risk factors had stronger effects in younger animals, but were consistent for dogs of all ages. In particular, these findings reiterate the importance of administering at least two rabies vaccinations (the primo vaccination and subsequent booster) to ensure population-level protection against rabies in dogs globally.
authors.affiliation: Rabies Department, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yakobson
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit (VEERU) & PAN Livestock Services Ltd., School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Rabies Department, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dveres
authors.affiliation: Rabies Department, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rotblat
authors.affiliation: Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Ż
authors.initials: Ż
authors.lastname: Spero
authors.affiliation: LandCow Consulting, Madison, WI, USA.|Ronin Institute, Montclair, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: E W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7094-7780
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Lankau
authors.affiliation: Merial Ltd., Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004285:Dogs; D038622:Internationality; D007557:Israel; D011818:Rabies / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel; D014611:Vaccination / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011819:Rabies Vaccines
keywords: Dogs; Israel; global travel; immunity; prevention; rabies; serology; vaccination