Evaluation of the inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine from the Vnukovo-32 strain. Results of its industrial production and field use for post-exposure immunization of man.

During 1973-1977, 981,000 doses of rabies vaccine were prepared in primary young Syrian hamster kidney cell cultures infected with attenuated rabies virus (strain Vnukovo-32) and inactivated by UV-irradiation. Potency of the vaccine varied from 0.3 to 3.5. More the 53% of vaccine lots had potency in the range of 1.1-3.5 (NIH). Post-exposure immunization was carried out in 45,842 persons aged from 2 weeks to greater than 76 years. The vaccination course lasted from 2 to 25 days and was followed by 2 booster injections with the dose of 1.5-5 ml. The vaccine combined with gammaglobulin was injected into 2,856 persons; 19,764 persons had bites of dangerous localization (face, head, fingers). Post-exposure immunization was carried out in 4,416 humans who were bitten or licked with saliva of rabid animals (diagnosis was confirmed clinically or in the laboratory) and in 16,760 humans bitten by suspected animals (diagnosis remained unknown). None of those who received the complete course of antirabic treatment fell ill with hydrophobia. No neurological complications or other severe side effects were noted. Field trials and the results of studies of virus-neutralizing antibody titers in 390 treated people make it possible to conclude that tissue culture rabies vaccine from strain Vnukovo-32 is an effective preparation with low reactogenicity.