The successful elimination of sylvatic rabies using oral vaccination of foxes in Slovenia

Černe, Danijela (author), Hostnik, Peter (author), Toplak, Ivan (author)

Sylvatic rabies was present in Slovenia between 1973 and 2013, with the red fox as the main reservoir of the rabies virus. The first oral rabies vaccination (ORV) control program in foxes started in 1988, using the manual distribution of baits. Significant improvement of fox vaccination was achieved with the aerial distribution of baits, starting in 1995 and successfully finished with the final, fifty-ninth vaccination campaign in 2019. Between 1979 and 2019, a total of 86,471 samples were tested, and 10,975 (12.69%) rabies-positive animals were identified. Within the ORV, two different vaccines were used, containing modified live virus strain Street Alabama Dufferin (SAD) B19 and SAD Bern, while the last ORV campaigns were completed in 2019, with a vaccine containing a genetically modified strain of SPBN GASGAS. Molecular epidemiological studies of 95 rabies-positive samples, originating from red foxes, badgers, cattle, dogs, martens, cats, and horses, revealed a low genetic diversity of circulating strains and high similarity to strains from neighboring countries. During the elimination program, few vaccine-induced rabies cases were detected: three in red foxes and one case in a marten, with no epidemiological relevance. Slovenia has been officially declared a country free of rabies since 2016.

• Language: English
• Keywords: rabies virus, slovenia, oral rabies vaccination (ORV), rabies, vaccination, foxes
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 3, art. 405
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125431
• UDC: 578
• ISSN on article: 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v13030405
• COBISS.SI-ID: 54153475
• Publication date in RUL: 16.03.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Viruses
• Shortened title: Viruses
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4915
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517597977

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 04.03.2021

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0092
• Name: Zdravje živali, okolje in varna hrana