[The importance of interferon for rabies prophylaxis (author's transl)].

The importance of interferon for the prophylaxis of rabies is not yet fully understood. About 50% of cynomolgus monkeys infected with rabies virus could be protected from the disease with human interferon which was administered at a total dose of 1--10 million units per animal either intramuscularly 24 hours after infection or by intralumbar injection up to 11 days after. The clinical relevance of the findings is discussed.