Oral vaccination of racoons (Procyon lotor) with baculovirus-expressed rabies virus glycoprotein.

Successful field oral vaccination and protection against viral diseases have so far been achieved only with live-attenuated or live-recombinant virus vaccines. In this communication, we present data that demonstrate that a glycoprotein derived from recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells is efficacious as an oral vaccine. The glycoprotein (G) of rabies virus (Evelyn Rokitnicki Abelseth strain) was abundantly expressed in a baculovirus expression system and oral vaccination of racoons with the baculovirus-expressed G protein resulted in the production of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies and protection against a lethal challenge with a street rabies virus. The potential for using the baculovirus-expressed G protein for oral immunization of wildlife is discussed.