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J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis.
V.20, 2014.
Short communication - ISSN 1678-9199.
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J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis. V.20, 2014. Short communication - ISSN 1678-9199. |
Kinetics of rabies antibodies as a strategy for canine active immunization
1Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, São Paulo State University (UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil
2Department of Animal Health and Production, Veterinary Medicine School, São Paulo State University (UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista), Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil
3Laboratory of Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Diseases, Center for the Control of Zoonosis of São Paulo City, São Paulo, São Paulo state, Brazil
4Department of Biostatistics, Botucatu Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil
ABSTRACT
Background
Rabies, a zoonosis found throughout the globe, is caused by a virus of the Lyssavirus genus. The disease is transmitted to humans through the inoculation of the virus present in the saliva of infected mammals. Since its prognosis is usually fatal for humans, nationwide public campaigns to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies aim to break the epidemiological link between the virus and its reservoirs in Brazil.
Findings
During 12 months we evaluated the active immunity of dogs first vaccinated (booster shot at 30 days after first vaccination) against rabies using the Fuenzalida-Palácios modified vaccine in the urban area of Botucatu city, São Pauto state, Brazil. Of the analyzed dogs, 54.7% maintained protective titers (≥0.5 IU/mL) for 360 days after the first vaccination whereas 51.5% during all the study period.
Conclusions
The present results suggest a new vaccination schedule for dogs that have never been vaccinated. In addition to the first dose of vaccine, two others are recommended: the second at 30 days after the first and the third dose at 180 days after the first for the maintenance of protective titers during 12 months.
Key words: Rabies; Dogs; Vaccination; Revaccination; Annual vaccination campaign; Fuenzalida-Palácios
Financial support
This work was supported by the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), project number 2009-09098-8.
Ethics committee approval
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA), School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, UNESP, Botucatu, under protocol n. 64/2009. The work was carried out in accordance with the EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/legislation_en.htm.
Received: March 10, 2014; Revised: July 14, 2014; Accepted: August 26, 2014.
Corresponding author: José R Modolo jrmodolo@fmvz.unesp.br