HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Rosatte, R. Articles by Schumacher, C. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rosatte, R. Articles by Schumacher, C.

¹ Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Development Section, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Dr., Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
² Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa Laboratory Fallowfield, PO Box 11300, Station H, Nepean, Ontario K2H 8P9, Canada
³ Artemis Technologies, Inc., 51 Watson Rd. S., Guelph, Ontario N1L 1E3, Canada
⁴ USSEC, 12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 140, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
⁵ Merial Limited, Athens, Georgia 30601, USA
⁶ Merial Limited, 29 av Tony Garnier, Lyon, 69007, Lyon, France
⁷ Corresponding author (email: rick.rosatte{at}ontario.ca)

ABSTRACT:   More than 3.6 million baits containing a recombinant vaccinia virus–rabies glycoprotein (V-RG) oral rabies vaccine were aerially or hand-distributed during 1999–2006 in an approximate 4,000–9,000 km² area of eastern Ontario, Canada, as part of a multitactic approach to control the raccoon variant of rabies. The efficacy of the program was assessed through the collection and testing of > 6,900 animals for bait acceptance and rabies virus-specific antibodies. Raccoon acceptance of rabies vaccine baits was significantly greater (71–83% ) in areas baited at a density of 150 baits/km² compared to areas baited at 75 baits/km² (26–58% ), and more raccoons consumed vaccine baits in areas baited with a flight line spacing of 0.75 km (45.3% [321/708]) than with a spacing of 1.5 km (33.8% [108/320]). In addition, greater numbers of raccoons consumed vaccine baits during a drop in September (52.7% [213/404]) as opposed to a June bait drop (34.6% [216/624]). Seropositivity rates for raccoons ranged between 7% and 28% in areas baited at 75/km² and 10% to 27% in areas baited at 150/km² with statistical differences varying among years and treatments. The last case of raccoon-variant rabies reported in Ontario was in September 2005. The control of raccoon rabies in Ontario has resulted in an estimated $6M to $10M Cdn annual savings in rabies-associated costs.
  Key words:  Oral vaccination, Procyon lotor, rabid raccoon, rabies, raccoon, raccoon rabies, rabies control, vaccine baits, V-RG.