Specific activity of tissue culture antirabic vaccine Rabivak-Vnukovo-32 with short intramuscular vaccination schedule.

Tissue culture rabies vaccine has been used for subcutaneous immunization of 158 subjects according to official instructions and also for intramuscular immunization of 128 subjects according to a short schedule with booster inoculations. All 286 subjects were either bitten or contaminated with saliva of rabid animals or animals suspected of having rabies. The 1168 serum samples were tested by neutralization test (NT) in mice, by radial haemolysis (RH) and by indirect haemagglutination (IHA). The highest, earliest and longest active post-vaccination immunity was registered after the most intensive subcutaneous vaccination course at a dose of 5 ml for 25 days with 3 booster inoculations. Subcutaneous inoculation of 3 ml vaccine for 12 days (36 ml) failed to produce a satisfactory elevation of antibody titre. After 2 to 4 booster inoculations, however, a satisfactory level of antibody was observed. The tissue culture vaccine was shown to have good prospects for clinical vaccination by intramuscular route. On intramuscular vaccination at 1.5 ml for 9 days with 6 booster inoculations on days 16, 23, 30, 37, 67 and 97 (initial vaccine volume 45 ml) the mean geometric antibody titres (MGT) reached 93, 160, 322 and 165 on days 30, 60, 90 and 112, respectively. The economically efficient and rapid IHA and RH tests were confirmed to be specific and suitable for titration of antirabies antibody.