Serological investigations on rabies tissue culture vaccine (USSR) and development of short methods in post-exposure treatment.

Comparisons have been carried out in the GDR between the Hempt-vaccine, which has been used until now, and a vaccine prepared in the USSR from the Vnukovo-32 strain on tissue culture. A trial of 1,800 treatments undertaken in 18 vaccination centres has clearly shown that the tissue culture vaccine is superior to the Hempt-vaccine and allows the number of injections to be reduced. The authors recommend three types of treatment--with or without the combination of antirabies immunoglobulin--according to the risk of exposure or the injuries sustained.