Anti-rabies Vaccine Research Articles

Compliance to post-exposure prophylaxis among animal bite patients - A hospital-based epidemiological study.

Although rabies is a 100% fatal disease, it is preventable with appropriate and timely post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). A hospital-based study was conducted among 360 animal bite patients in the Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi (VMMC and SJH). A predesigned, pretested, structured questionnaire was administered by the interview technique to assess the compliance to PEP among the animal bite patients attending the ARC, which comprised assessment of wound washing practices adopted by the animal bite patients, administration of rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), and compliance to full course of anti-rabies vaccination (ARV). Out of 360 study participants, 131 (54.4%) had washed the wound using soap and water and 216 (89.6%) had washed the wound for less than 5 min. The compliance to the full course of ARV was seen among 172 (47.8%) study participants, whereas 164 (45.5%) were found to be non-compliant and 24 (6.7%) were found to be delayed compliant. It was observed that a considerable segment of the study population did not practice the correct wound washing practices, and only about half of the total study participants (172; 47.8%) were found to be compliant to the full course of ARV. As rabies is a 100% preventable disease, increasing awareness pertaining to appropriate PEP may prove to be beneficial in improving the compliance to PEP and reducing the burden of mortality.

Rabies-Monoclonal Antibody - A Perspective

Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) of all warm-blooded animals, including mammals. Research studies and experience from across the world have demonstrated that appropriate administration of a combination of (a) local wound treatment, (b) anti-rabies vaccination and (c) passive immunization have proved to be quite effective in preventing the occurrence of rabies. As far as passive immunization is concerned, polyclonal plasma-derived rabies immunoglobulins (RIG) pose a number of limitations with scarce supply, high cost, etc. amongst many others. On the contrary Rabies Monoclonal Antibodies (R-mAb) are much cheaper, permit longer-term storage, etc. and hence could offer a more standardized, accessible, affordable and equally efficacious and safer alternative to RIG. Accordingly, this article has tried to throw light on the transition from RIG to monoclonal antibody-based Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) which has been recommended by the WHO strongly. The advantages, limitations and future scope of R-mAb have been discussed at length to give a comprehensive idea about this novel invention in the field of medicine.

A KAP Study on Dog Bite and Its Management in a Rural Community — Need for Increasing the Awareness

Objectives: To access knowledge, attitude, and practices about dog bites and their management in the rural community of Maharashtra. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in an identified rural community with a sample size of 279 using systematic random sampling data was collected using personal interview using pretested questionnaire and descriptive and inferential statistics was applied. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 42.8±7.5 years and the majority (68.8%) were male and 31.2% were female. 72.4% didn't have any pet dog and all (100.0%) have experienced a dog bite for themselves or anyone in the family in their lifetime. The majority (93.4%) have described rabies illness and 100% correctly know that the main animal of rabies in India is a dog and the correct mode of disease transmission. However, only 7.9% know the most common age group affected. The majority (59.1%) have heard about the anti-rabies vaccine. Awareness of anti-rabies vaccine varies in different groups based on their educational qualification and Pearson's chi-square value was statistically significant. Vaccination of pet dogs as a periodic activity to prevent rabies has been strongly disagreed by 22.2% of participants. 23.3% strongly agreed that stray dogs are a social nuisance. The majority 24.7% have disagreed with the implementation of the Animal Birth Control program. The relationship between the level of education and attitude towards native/traditional healers in preventing rabies after a dog bite was significant (p<0.05). It was also found that the following dog bite only 28.0% would like to wash the wound with soap and water following a dog bite. Conclusion: There exists a considerable gap in knowledge attitudes and practices about Dog bites and their management. Increasing the awareness, and changing the attitude and beliefs among the study population is the need of the hour, Accordingly Regular IEC activities to be planned at various centers Keywords: Knowledge, attitude, practices, Dog bite, Management

Knowledge, attitude and practices on rabies prevention among the patient attending the antirabies vaccination clinics (ARV) in tertiary health care centre in central India

: We conducted KAP studies on Rabies Prevention among Patient attending ARV clinic of tertiary health care centre in central India. There is a paucity of published literature describing the public’s knowledge, attitude and practices of rabies prevention in central India, information that is critical to developing effective interventions and government policies. Hence the present study was conducted among 135 study participant who are attending ARV clinics of tertiary health care centre in central India. To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices on rabies prevention among the patient attending the ARV clinics. To assess the Proportion of animal exposure in the study area and to find out the association of socio-demographic factors with knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) related to rabies. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 135 eligible participants in rabies vaccination clinics (ARV). We performed a face-to-face interview to investigate the rabies KAP of these participants using a self-designed questionnaire consulted with experts was done. Study was conducted from January to March 2022 by using consecutive sampling till the sample size was achieved. Factors associated with the KAP were evaluated using logistic regression models, 48.14 % participant aware regarding rabies disease, Younger age, and graduate and above had higher score compared to old age and less than high school, Participants who were younger (p < 0.000), who received better education (p < 0.000), and who reported good economic status (p = 0.05) were more likely to have higher scores of attitudes, participant who had older age (p<0.007).who had less education (p<0.00),who had poor socio-economic status (p<0.00) had lower score.: Lack of knowledge and attitude is suboptimal in study participant however practice regarding rabies vaccination is good in male and younger population.

Profilaxia pós-exposição da raiva humana: uma revisão dos tratamentos envolvendo gatos domésticos

Rabies is an anthropozoonosis that presents approximately 100% lethality and expensive preventive assistance. Many human post-exposure anti-rabies treatments indicated for people at risk of exposure to rabies virus, usually due to some aggression by a mammalian animal, are instituted annually. This study aimed to evaluate the initial care of post-exposure prophylaxis of human rabies in Belo Horizonte between 2007 and 2016, involving accidents with domestic cats. It was found 71.1% agreement between the treatments instituted by health services and the protocol of the Ministry of Health. Treatments classified as insufficient totaled 18.3% and excessive, 10.6%. The animals were healthy in 68% and observable in 68.4% of the cases. Treatments involving the use of anti-rabies vaccine totaled 87.7%. The most frequent treatment adopted by the health services was observing the animals associated with the human anti-rabies vaccination in 56.7% of the cases. Imperfections in the filling of the notifications must be revised to enable improvements for future analyses. As for human prophylactic anti-rabies care, forming a multidisciplinary health team including veterinarians would be well on the way to improving the service offered.

A Study of Adverse Effects Following Administration of Anti-Rabies Vaccination - A Hospital Based Study

Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease that affects all warm-blooded animals including mammals and occurs in more than 150 countries and territories. Although rabies is a 100% fatal disease, it can be prevented by the use of potent anti-rabies vaccines (ARV). The present study was a hospital based descriptive longitudinal study conducted during February 2019 to July 2020 amongst the animal bite patients attending the Anti -Rabies clinic (ARC) of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital (VMMC & SJH), New Delhi, to study the adverse events (vaccine reactions) if any following administration of the ARV. The age of the study participants ranged from 2 to 65 years and the mean age was (29.3±15.2) years. No severe or serious adverse events were reported. Of the minor reactions, the most commonly reported symptom was pain at the injection site (34; 9.4%) followed by occurrence of tingling sensation (29; 8.1%), headache (22; 6.1%) and itching at the injection site (19; 5.3%). These findings corroborate with those found in previous studies in the literature. It was concluded that although there are possible local or mild or systemic adverse reactions to rabies vaccination, but once initiated, rabies prophylaxis should not be interrupted or discontinued.

Effectiveness of health education on knowledge and attitude of health worker (F) about rabies in a urban area

Introduction: Rabies is a highly fatal and completely preventable viral disease of the central nervous system. It’s primarily a zoonotic disease transmitted by bites and licks of rabid animals. Material & Methods: The cross sectional study was carried out over a period of 2 months on the HW(F) who were posted in the various urban Primary Health Centre of Cuttack District. 2 sets of data were collected one before and one after the awareness session on Rabies. Results: Rabies as a viral disease was known to 43% of HW(F) and the corresponding figure became 64% after the awareness session. It is a fatal disease was known to 94% of HW(F) pre-session. About 91% of Health Worker knew rabid dog was the culprit animal and after the awareness session 100% opined that it was transmitted by rabid dog. Only 70% of HW (F) knew that the wound site should be washed with soap and water which became 100% after the session. Only 21% HW (F) knew about the correct dose and total number of doses of anti-rabies vaccines, which became 95% following the awareness session.

Serological Evidence of Canine Rabies and Dog Owners’ Response about the Disease in Selected Veterinary Clinics within Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

Canine rabies is endemic in Nigeria as evident by several reports, however, it is a vaccine preventable disease in both animals and man. Dog owners’ knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) toward rabies is instrumental to a successful rabies prevention and control measures against transmission. This study determined the prevalence of rabies antibodies in owned dogs and assessed KAPof dog owners toward rabies in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria in a cross sectional study conducted between January, 2019 and March, 2019. Sera from 100 dog blood samples were collected but only 92 samples were subjected to Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) using Rabies Virus IgG Ab (DEMEDITEC Diagnostics GmbH, Lise-Meitner Strase 2, 24145 Kiel, Germany). Zoographic data obtained showed 61 (66.3%) dogs sampled were female, the dogs were kept majorly for security (n=54) and breeding (n=28). Vaccination records revealed that 13 (14.1%) of the dogs were not vaccinated against rabies. Analysis revealed good KAP scores of the dog owners at 75%, 95% and 95%, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between qualification (no formal education) and categorised attitude scores (P = 0.003) also between no formal education and categorised practice scores (P = 0.026). In conclusion, majority (93.5%) of the dogs tested had rabies antibodies which may indicate previous vaccination. Although dog owners KAP were good, majority (62%) were ignorant that rabies has no cure. Public health awareness on the dangers of rabies and annual dog anti-rabies vaccination toward elimination of dog-mediated human rabies, still needs to be intensified and sustained.

Determinants of delay in initiation of post exposure prophylaxis for rabies prevention among animal bite cases attending a rural tertiary care hospital of Haryana

Introduction : Rabies is a fatal but vaccine-preventable viral disease. Animal bite victims who report in primary and secondary level health care lack some measures which can help in protecting and preventing deaths due to rabies. The most important factor for prevention of death due to rabies is the timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) among animal bite victims. Therefore, in addition to an understanding of the epidemiological distribution of animal bites, it is necessary to explore the factors leading to delay in PEP initiation. Objective: To determine the determinants of delay in initiation of post exposure prophylaxis for rabies prevention among animal bite cases attending anti-rabies clinic of a ruraltertiary care hospital in Sonepat, Haryana. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at an Immunization-cum-antirabies clinic of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical Collegefor Women, Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat, Haryana. A pre tested, structured questionnaire was used to collect information among 410 participants after taking consent. The Institutional Ethics Committee of institute approved the study. The groups were compared with Chi-square test for categorical data. Results: Delay was present among 27.3% of participants. Significant factors of delay were no local wound treatment, any treatment taken prior to anti-rabies vaccine administration, rabies clinic closed on holidays, unawareness about PEP, non-availability of accompaniment, transportation issues and money problem for transportation. Knowledge also played significant role as delay was significantly more among the participants not having knowledge regarding source of infection, mode of transmission and incubation period of rabies. Conclusions: Delay ininitiation of PEP was common and were significantly associated with lack of knowledge and unawareness, closure of rabies clinic on Sundays/holidays, non-availability of accompaniment and money problem during transportation.

Identifying high-risk areas for dog-mediated rabies using Bayesian spatial regression

Despite ongoing control efforts, rabies remains an endemic zoonotic disease in many countries. Determining high-risk areas and the space-time patterns of rabies spread, as it relates to epidemiologically important factors, can support policymakers and program managers alike to develop evidence-based targeted surveillance and control programs. In this One Health approach which selected Thailand as the example site, the location-based risk of contracting dog-mediated rabies by both human and animal populations was quantified using a Bayesian spatial regression model. Specifically, a conditional autoregressive (CAR) Bayesian zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression was fitted to the reported human and animal rabies case counts of each district, from the 2012–2017 period. The human population was used as an offset. The epidemiologically important factors hypothesized as risk modifiers and therefore tested as predictors included: number of dog bites/attacks, the population of dogs and cats, number of Buddhist temples, garbage dumps, animal vaccination, post-exposure prophylaxis, poverty, and shared administrative borders. Disparate sources of data were used to improve the estimated associations and predictions. Model performance was assessed using cross-validation. Results suggested that accounting for the association between human and animal rabies with number of dog bites/attacks, number of owned and un-owned dogs; shared country borders, number of Buddhist temples, poverty levels, and accounting for spatial dependence between districts, may help to predict the risk districts for dog-mediated rabies in Thailand. The fitted values of the spatial regression were mapped to illustrate the risk of dog-mediated rabies. The cross-validation indicated an adequate performance of the spatial regression model (AUC = 0.81), suggesting that had this spatial regression approach been used to identify districts at risk in 2015, the cases reported in 2016/17 would have been predicted with model sensitivity and specificity of 0.71 and 0.80, respectively. While active surveillance is ideal, this approach of using multiple data sources to improve risk estimation may inform current rabies surveillance and control efforts including determining rabies-free zones, and the roll-out of human post-exposure prophylaxis and anti-rabies vaccines for animals in determining high-risk areas.

Quantitative risk assessment of rabies being introduced into mainland France through worldwide noncommercial dog and cat movements.

France has been rabies-free among nonflying mammals since 2001. Despite this status, the rabies virus has been introduced several times through noncommercial pet movements, posing a threat of infection by this 100%-lethal zoonosis among local animal and human populations. To quantify the risk of rabies being introduced through worldwide noncommercial dog and cat movements, we performed a quantitative risk assessment using stochastic scenario tree modeling. The mean annual probability of at least one rabies introduction incident was 0.35 (median: 0.24, 90% prediction interval (PI) [0.04; 0.98]) and the mean annual number of rabies-infected pets introduced through pet movements was 0.96 (median: 0.27, 90% PI [0.04; 3.88]). These results highlight a nonnegligible, even high risk due to the associated consequences of such events. In alternative scenario testing, preventive anti-rabies vaccination proved to be an effective measure since removing the vaccination requirement led to a>15-fold increase in risk. The serological testing requirement had less of an effect (approximately two-fold increase when removed) and the posttest waiting period to ensure that antibodies were not linked to an infection had a negligible effect. Any change in pet owner compliance, especially regarding vaccination, could have a major impact on the risk. This study also shows that reinforced border control staff training could be more effective in reducing risk than more frequent checks. These results provide quantitative data for assessing the probability of the rabies virus entering France, and could help policymakers decrease this risk in rabies-free areas.

Safety and clinical efficacy of human rabies immunoglobulin in post exposure prophylaxis for category III animal exposures

ABSTRACT The human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) is a life-saving immune biological essential for all category III animal exposures. It provides neutralizing antibodies at the site of exposure until the body can produce vaccine-mediated antibodies. We conducted this study to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of an HRIG being used presently for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and to strengthen the existing evidence for its further usage. We conducted a prospective cohort study in 123 subjects with category III animal exposures at the KIMS Hospital and Research Center, Bangalore, India. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with wound toilet, a single application of HRIG, and a full course of anti-rabies vaccination were provided to all the study subjects. The volume of HRIG was calculated according to the body weight, and all the wounds were infiltrated as was anatomically feasible. All the study subjects were followed up for immediate and delayed adverse events (AE), both local and systemic. Subsequently, all the subjects were followed up for 6 months to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of PEP. The incidence of AEs was 11.4% including local pain, erythema, itching, headache, body ache, fever, and malaise. All AEs were mild and subsided without any complications. All the study subjects were healthy and alive after 6 months following the administration of HRIG, along with a full course of anti-rabies vaccine. Our study provides evidence of safety and clinical efficacy of HRIG for category III animal exposures and supports its continued usage.

Covariation between glucocorticoids, behaviour and immunity supports the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis: an experimental approach.

The biomedical literature has consistently highlighted that long-term elevation of glucocorticoids might impair immune functions. However, patterns are less clear in wild animals. Here, we re-explored the stress-immunity relationship considering the potential effects of behavioural profiles. Thirteen captive roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were monitored over an eight-week period encompassing two capture events. We assessed how changes in baseline faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentrations following a standardized capture protocol and an immune challenge using anti-rabies vaccination affected changes in 13 immune parameters of innate and adaptive immunity, and whether these changes in baseline FCM levels and immune parameters related to behavioural profiles. We found that individuals with increased baseline FCM levels also exhibited increased immunity and were characterized by more reactive behavioural profiles (low activity levels, docility to manipulation and neophilia). Our results suggest that the immunity of large mammals may be influenced by glucocorticoids, but also behavioural profiles, as it is predicted by the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis. Our results highlight the need to consider covariations between behaviour, immunity and glucocorticoids in order to improve our understanding of the among-individual variability in the stress-immunity relationships observed in wildlife, as they may be underpinned by different life-history strategies.

Anti-rabies vaccines applied in the Russian Federation and perspectives for their improvement

Rabies is almost ubiquitous (except in certain areas) and poses a significant danger to both animals and humans. Every year around 55,000 people die from this disease worldwide. In the Russian Federation alone 400,000-450,000 patients annually apply for anti-rabies treatment. In the absolute majority of cases human infection is caused by contact with infected animals. In RF, a number of cultured inactivated anti-rabies vaccines for medical and veterinary purposes have been developed, registered and used for specific prevention of rabies. These vaccine preparations have shown high effectiveness in preventing infection in domestic and farm animals. At the same time, the main reservoir of the rabies virus (Mononegavirales: Rhabdoviridae: Lyssavirus) (RV) are wild carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora). For the purpose of their oral immunization, live virus vaccines from attenuated (fixed) strains of RV that are little resistant in the external environment are used. In Western Europe and North America there is successful experience with recombinant anti-rabies vaccine preparations containing a viral glycoprotein gene (G-protein). Such vaccines are safe for humans and animals. In Russia also had been developed a vector anti-rabies vaccine based on adenovirus (Adenoviridae), which can be used to combat this infection. Currently, in addition to classical rabies, diseases caused by new, previously unknown lyssaviruses (Lyssavirus) are becoming increasingly important. Bats (Mammalia: Microchiroptera) are their vectors. Cases of illness and death after contact with these animals have been described. In the near future, we should expect the development of new vaccines that will provide protection not only against RV, but also against other lyssaviruses.

Preparation and the assessed efficacy of oral baits for the vaccination of free-roaming dogs against rabies.

Background and Aim:Rabies is considered a highly fatal zoonotic disease and many deaths in humans have been associated with dog bites. This study was designed to prepare an oral anti-rabies vaccine in the form of baits to eliminate the disease in free-roaming dogs and subsequently protect humans from dog bites.Materials and Methods:The Evelyn Rokintniki Abelseth (ERA) rabies virus strain was propagated in baby hamster kidney cell cultures and adjusted to the recommended dose for application. Four forms of oral baits were employed with the rabies vaccine, which was evaluated for safety, acceptability, and potency in different dog groups. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and the serum neutralization test (SNT) were used to determine the protective rabies antibody titer in the sera of vaccinated dogs.Results:According to the results, a dose of 3 mL of the ERA strain, containing a viral titer of 107.6 TCID50/mL, induced a mean antibody titer of 25.6 by SNT, and the PI% was 75.7 by Block ELISA, providing a protective level of the rabies antibody in 100% of vaccinated dogs. All used baits were found to be safe, inducing no abnormal general post-vaccination signs (the signs are limited to mild fever, mild loss of appetite, and mild-to-moderate loss of energy for 24-36 h after vaccination).Conclusion:It was found that most of the accepted and highly potent bait types consisted of a mixture of wheat flour, vegetable oil, sodium alginate, corn starch, meat meal, cellulose gum, and water. This dog meal was covered with bran and edible wax to seal the bait cavity after inserting the vaccine sachet. This bait was able to induce a protective level of rabies antibodies in 100% of vaccinated dogs after receiving one bait/dog. Hence, such a bait could be recommended for use in the protection of free-roaming dogs and the elimination of the disease.

A rare case of bilateral retrobulbar neuritis and retinal vasculitis following antirabies vaccination

A 33-year-old female presented with sudden painless blurring of vision in both eyes. She gave a history of dog bite and had received two doses of intradermal anti-rabies vaccination 2 weeks prior to the onset of symptoms. Ophthalmological evaluation showed bilateral retrobulbar neuritis, superior nasal field defects in the right eye and vasculitis, and temporal hemianopia in the left eye. Extensive laboratory investigations ruled out all underlying infections, connective tissue disorders, and systemic vasculitis. Good response to pulse steroid therapy was noted. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of retrobulbar neuritis with retinal vasculitis following chick embryo cell-derived anti-rabies vaccination.

Knowledge of rabies among rural community in Chengalpet district, India.

The objective of the present study is to assess the knowledge about rabies among the general population of a rural area in Chengalpattu district of Tamilnadu. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 361 participants belonging to Paranur village of Chengalpattu district. A pre-tested questionnaire was utilized to gather information on socio-demographic factors, knowledge about rabies, treatment-seeking behavior, and anti-rabies vaccine use among participants with history of dog bite. Among the 361 participants, only 49.5 % were aware of local wound-management procedures, despite the fact that 68% had sufficient knowledge about rabies. The present study highlights. significant association between knowledge regarding rabies with demographic variables such as gender, age, education and occupation Although more than half of the study population had adequate knowledge on rabies, one-fourth of them had no knowledge on first-aid treatments or vaccines at the time of dog bite. This study highlights the need to promote knowledge regarding wound care and post-exposure prophylaxis at the event of a dog bite.

ACUTE DISSEMINATED ENCEPHALOMYELITIS AFTER RABIES VACCINATION: ONE CASE REPORT

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). There is no typical clinical presentation of ADEM. The combination of multiple neurological disorders occurring during infections or vaccination should alarm the clinician. We report a case of ADEM in a 37-year-old patient, occurred 2 months after an anti-rabies vaccine shot. The diagnosis was concluded as we had the anti-rabies vaccination 2 months before the onset of symptoms, clinical symptoms (of encephalomyelitis) and the outcome of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (bilateral and symmetrical signal abnormalities of both capsules and both Putamens, hyposignal in T1, hypersignal in T2 and FLAIR). IV corticosteroid boluses were administered, followed by oral corticosteroid therapy then gradual dose reduction. Clinical evolution was marked by improving of consciousness, disappearance of the motor deficit and the persistence of irreversible blindness. ADEM is a rare and serious condition of the central nervous system. Early management is the key to avoid complications.

Sequential Monitoring of Pre-exposure Antirabies Vaccinal Neutralizing Antibodies in Dogs

Background: Effective animal vaccines against Rabies that provide a considerable duration of immunity and mass parenteral vaccination programmes remain the mainstay of canine rabies control. Animal birth control (ABC) programmes coupled with pre-exposure anti-rabies vaccination with booster dose at regular interval have been advocated as a method to control urban street male and female dog populations and ultimately human rabies in Asia. The present study is aimed to determine the persistence of antirabies neutralizing antibodies to pre-exposure vaccination in dogs and the effect of booster vaccination on pre-exposure antirabies vaccinal neutralizing antibody levels. Methods: The study was conducted in 30 non-descript dogs which were divided into two groups containing 15 animals each. Dogs in group I were given pre exposure prophylaxis with booster dose after 21 days and animals in group II were given primary vaccination without any booster dose. Serum samples were collected at 0th, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 60th, 90th and 120th days post vaccination. Seromonitoring of antirabies vaccinal antibodies was done in both groups by RFFIT. Result: 80 per cent of the animals in group I were able to maintain the mean antibody titre above protective level upto 4 months successfully, whereas, 40 per cent of the animals in group II were able to maintain mean antibody titer above protective level only upto 2 months. With the inactivated vaccine, booster dose given three weeks after the primary vaccination has ensured levels of neutralizing antibodies greater than 0.5 IU/ml for a period of at least four months.

Occurrence of Rabies in Post Exposure Vaccinated Cattle with Dog Bite Injury above the Neck Region

Background: Investigated the fatality in bovines infected with rabies virus through dog bite, that have undergone the post bite therapy. The site of dog bite close to the brain was an important factor and reason behind the fatality. Methods: The findings from cattle infected naturally with Rabies virus and vaccinated with post bite shots of anti-rabies vaccine were considered for the present study. The rabies cases i.e., 20 cases (out of total 58 cases reported) in bovines, from Bidar, Karnataka and Maharashtra border area, reported in last three years and bovines with site of dog bite specifically above neck region were considered. All the clinical samples were tested with direct fluorescent antibody test and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, amplifying the glycoprotein, G gene of rabies virus. Result: In the diseased cattle, with history of dog bite above neck region, the average incubation period observed was 15 days in case of calves and 20 days in case of adults. The occurrence of clinical signs was seen in cattle undergoing the post bite vaccination. Fatality rate recorded was 100 per cent, despite having treated with post bite anti-rabies vaccine alone, without use of rabies antisera as a passive way of treating successfully in such cases. Rabies post bite vaccination is not protective, if the site of dog bite is above the neck region.