USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
USDA/APHIS/WS/National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Dr., Concord, NH 03301, USA.
Viruses. 2021 Jan 22;13(2):157. doi: 10.3390/v13020157.
Since the 1990s, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has been used successfully to halt the westward spread of the raccoon rabies virus (RV) variant from the eastern continental USA. Elimination of raccoon RV from the eastern USA has proven challenging across targeted raccoon () and striped skunk () populations impacted by raccoon RV. Field trial evaluations of the Ontario Rabies Vaccine Bait (ONRAB) were initiated to expand ORV products available to meet the rabies management goal of raccoon RV elimination. This study describes the continuation of a 2011 trial in West Virginia. Our objective was to evaluate raccoon and skunk response to ORV occurring in West Virginia for an additional two years (2012-2013) at 75 baits/km followed by three years (2014-2016) of evaluation at 300 baits/km. We measured the change in rabies virus-neutralizing antibody (RVNA) seroprevalence in targeted wildlife populations by comparing levels pre- and post-ORV during each year of study. The increase in bait density from 75/km to 300/km corresponded to an increase in average post-ORV seroprevalence for raccoon and skunk populations. Raccoon population RVNA levels increased from 53% (300/565, 95% CI: 50-57%) to 82.0% (596/727, 95% CI: 79-85%) during this study, and skunk population RVNA levels increased from 11% (8/72, 95% CI: 6-20%) to 39% (51/130, 95% CI: 31-48%). The RVNA seroprevalence pre-ORV demonstrated an increasing trend across study years for both bait densities and species, indicating that multiple years of ORV may be necessary to achieve and maintain RVNA seroprevalence in target wildlife populations for the control and elimination of raccoon RV in the eastern USA.
自 20 世纪 90 年代以来，口腔狂犬病疫苗（ORV）已成功用于阻止浣熊狂犬病病毒（RV）变体从美国东部向西部传播。在受浣熊 RV 影响的目标浣熊（）和条纹臭鼬（）种群中，从美国东部消除浣熊 RV 一直具有挑战性。为了扩大可用的 ORV 产品以实现消除东部美国浣熊 RV 的狂犬病管理目标，启动了安大略省狂犬病疫苗诱饵（ONRAB）的现场试验评估。本研究描述了 2011 年在西弗吉尼亚州进行的一项试验的延续。我们的目标是在 75 个诱饵/公里的基础上，在西弗吉尼亚州再进行两年（2012-2013 年）的 ORV 试验，然后在 300 个诱饵/公里的基础上再进行三年（2014-2016 年）的评估。我们通过比较每年研究前后 ORV 期间的目标野生动物种群中的狂犬病病毒中和抗体（RVNA）血清阳性率来衡量病毒变化。从 75/公里增加到 300/公里的诱饵密度与浣熊和臭鼬种群的平均 ORV 后血清阳性率增加相对应。在这项研究中，浣熊种群的 RVNA 水平从 53%（565 个中的 300 个，95%CI：50-57%）增加到 82.0%（727 个中的 596 个，95%CI：79-85%），而臭鼬种群的 RVNA 水平从 11%（72 个中的 8 个，95%CI：6-20%）增加到 39%（130 个中的 51 个，95%CI：31-48%）。两种诱饵密度和物种的 ORV 前 RVNA 血清阳性率显示出研究年度的上升趋势，这表明可能需要多年的 ORV 才能实现和维持目标野生动物种群的 RVNA 血清阳性率，以控制和消除美国东部的浣熊 RV。
