Laboratory investigations on post vaccinal rabies caused by live sheep brain vaccine

Wojciechowski, K. J.

The viral etiology of postvaccine complications among 30 dogs vaccinated by live antirabies vaccine (Umeno-Doi type, sheep brain vaccine) was confirmed. Three lots of virulent vaccine were inoculated s.c. into groups of Wistar rats according to different schemes. At 1 and 12 days after vaccination there were no isolations of fixed virus in direct and blind i.c. [intracerebral] passages of suspensions made from the thalamus area of suckling mice and rats. Viral antigen in the CNS of vaccinated but apparently healthy rats was undetectable. Postvaccine rabies, with the isolation of fixed rabies virus in the CNS, developed experimentally in rats only following the s.c. injection of crude sheep-brain and spinal cord suspensions composing the antirabies vaccine materials.