School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, 4343 Qld, Australia.
Faculty of Health and Medicine, Furness College, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YW, United Kingdom.
Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 30;7(1):14376. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14615-2.
Sylvatic rabies has been eradicated from most of Central Europe, but cases still occur in the Balkans. Oral rabies vaccination of foxes is an effective method for controlling the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of aerial vaccination campaigns conducted in Montenegro by identifying ecological, environmental and climatic factors that influenced the prevalence of antibodies to the rabies vaccine. To monitor the bait uptake and the serological responses to vaccination, foxes were shot by hunters. Of 175 shot foxes, 142 foxes (81.1%) had consumed baits. Of these only a total of 81 (57.0%) tested positive for rabies vaccine antibodies, possibly, due to the delayed uptake of bait in which the rabies vaccine was already inactivated. We found that low vaccination responses were associated with high fox density and bait delivery in open areas. In high fox density habitat, bait uptake might be delayed as other food and prey options for foxes are abundant. Similarly, delayed bait uptake probably occurred in open areas as such areas are less frequently used by foxes. The findings of this study suggest that efficacy of oral rabies vaccination by aerial delivery is associated with landscape features.
森林性狂犬病已在中欧大部分地区根除，但在巴尔干地区仍有病例发生。对狐狸进行口服狂犬病疫苗接种是控制该疾病的有效方法。本研究旨在通过确定影响狂犬病疫苗抗体流行率的生态、环境和气候因素，评估在黑山进行的空中疫苗接种运动的成功。为了监测诱饵的摄取和疫苗接种的血清学反应，猎人对狐狸进行了射击。在 175 只被击中的狐狸中，有 142 只（81.1%）食用了诱饵。其中只有 81 只（57.0%）的狂犬病疫苗抗体检测呈阳性，这可能是由于诱饵摄取延迟，导致狂犬病疫苗已经失活。我们发现，低疫苗接种反应与狐狸密度高和在开阔地区投放诱饵有关。在狐狸密度高的栖息地，由于狐狸有丰富的其他食物和猎物选择，诱饵摄取可能会延迟。同样，由于狐狸不太经常使用开阔地区，因此在这些地区可能会发生延迟的诱饵摄取。本研究结果表明，通过空中投放进行口服狂犬病疫苗接种的效果与景观特征有关。
