Oral vaccination of wildlife against rabies: Opportunities and challenges in prevention and control

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic encephalitis caused by lyssaviruses. Although warm-blooded vertebrates are susceptible to infection, disease perpetuation primarily occurs in bats and carnivores such as foxes, raccoons, skunks, mongooses, and dogs. While parenteral vaccination campaigns have virtually eliminated canine-transmitted rabies in developed countries, wildlife rabies persists. Oral vaccination of wildlife using baits containing attenuated rabies virus vaccines was conceived in the 1960s and trialed in the 1970s. Since the first field trials in 1978, oral vaccination programs targeting specific species like red foxes in Europe and raccoons in North America have achieved significant reductions in rabies incidence. However, challenges remain, including the absence of effective vaccines for certain species like bats, the potential for interspecies transmission, and the need for continued surveillance and research to optimize vaccine delivery and efficacy. – AI-generated abstract.