[Oral vaccination in the control of feral rabies].

The authors briefly report the results of laboratory and epidemiological investigations on living modified and inactivated antirabies vaccines, started in 1975 and carried out in collaboration with public health authorities and scientific institutions. The antirabies oral vaccination of foxes, using a live and modified vaccine (SADB19 Tüb.) began in Brescia province (Val Camonica) in 1984 and was extended in 1985 to Bolzano and Trento provinces. Since July 1986 no more cases of rabies have been observed in Italy. The problems related to the distribution in the territory of live and modified antirabies vaccines, the immunological value of inactivated vaccines, the connections between sylvatic rabies and bat rabies (or pseudorabies), are discussed.