Abstract
Distribution of oral rabies vaccine baits has been used as a strategy for managing rabies in the United States since the 1990s. Since that time, efforts have been made to improve baiting strategies with a focus on bait density to maximize both efficiency and cost effectiveness. An optimal rabies management strategy includes a vaccine bait preferred by the target species that is distributed at the minimal density needed to achieve population immunity to prevent rabies spread. The purpose of our pilot study was to examine the effect of 75, 150, and 300 baits/km2 vaccine bait densities on rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) seroprevalence in raccoons (Procyon lotor). Raboral V-RG® fishmeal polymer baits (Merial Inc. (now a part of Boehringer Ingelheim), Athens, Georgia) contain a tetracycline biomarker that was used to estimate bait consumption as another measure of intervention impact. Our results suggest that raccoon RVNA response increases as bait density increases, but the effect may not be sufficient to justify the cost except in the case of contingency actions or an epizootic. Non-target species, especially opossums (Didelphis virginianus) in certain areas, should be considered when determining an appropriate bait density to ensure sufficient baits are available for consumption by the target species.
Highlights
Prior to 1960, the majority of rabies cases in the United States (U.S.) were associated with domestic dogs [1], but in 2007 the U.S was declared free of canine rabies virus (RABV) [2, 3]
Raccoon RABV is enzootic throughout the eastern U.S, and expansion of this variant into the mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S has been attributed to a restocking program in the 1970s that resulted in transportation of rabid raccoons from southern states [8, 9, 10]
Aerial baiting was conducted across 12 counties in Pennsylvania with 810,167 baits distributed at a density of 75 baits/km2 as part of a larger oral rabies vaccination (ORV) campaign
Summary
Prior to 1960, the majority of rabies cases in the United States (U.S.) were associated with domestic dogs [1], but in 2007 the U.S was declared free of canine rabies virus (RABV) [2, 3]. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are one of the primary terrestrial reservoir species for RABV in the U.S, and because they are ubiquitous, a spatially continuous susceptible raccoon population exists to allow westward movement of the virus [6, 7]. Raccoon RABV is enzootic throughout the eastern U.S, and expansion of this variant into the mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S has been attributed to a restocking program in the 1970s that resulted in transportation of rabid raccoons from southern states [8, 9, 10]. By 1996, raccoon RABV was enzootic throughout all 67 Pennsylvania counties
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