Oral Rabies Vaccine Strain SPBN GASGAS: Genetic Stability after Serial In Vitro and In Vivo Passaging.

Oral vaccination of wildlife has shown to be a very effective management tool in rabies control. Evaluation of the genetic stability of vaccine viruses before distributing vaccine baits in the environment is essential because all available oral rabies vaccines, including the genetically engineered rabies virus vaccine strain SPBN GASGAS (Rabitec), are based on replication-competent viruses. To evaluate the genetic stability of this vaccine strain, five serial passages of the Master Seed Virus (MSV) in the production cell line BHK21 Cl13 were performed.

Experimental screening studies on rabies virus transmission and oral rabies vaccination of the Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros).

Rabies in the Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in Namibia is unique and found in such magnitude as has not been reported elsewhere in southern Africa. Reasons as to why Kudus appear to be exceptionally susceptible to rabies still remain speculative at best. Because the current severe rabies endemic in Kudus continues to have an enormous negative impact on the Namibian agricultural sector, we set out to question existing dogmas regarding the epidemiology of the disease in a unique experimental setting.

Oral vaccination of wildlife against rabies: Differences among host species in vaccine uptake efficiency.

Oral vaccination using attenuated and recombinant rabies vaccines has been proven a powerful tool to combat rabies in wildlife. However, clear differences have been observed in vaccine titers needed to induce a protective immune response against rabies after oral vaccination in different reservoir species. The mechanisms contributing to the observed resistance against oral rabies vaccination in some species are not completely understood.

Size distribution analysis of influenza virus particles using size exclusion chromatography.

Size exclusion chromatography is a standard method in quality control of biopharmaceutical proteins. In contrast, vaccine analysis is often based on activity assays. The hemagglutination assay is a widely accepted influenza quantification method, providing no insight in the size distribution of virus particles.

Mono- and polyprotic buffer systems in anion exchange chromatography of influenza virus particles.

Different ions typically used in downstream processing of biologicals are evaluated for their potential in anion exchange chromatography of an industrially produced, pandemic influenza H1N1 virus. Capacity, selectivity and recovery are investigated based on single step elution parallel chromatography experiments. The inactivated H1N1 feedstream is produced in Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney cells.

Oral vaccination of captive small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) against rabies.

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), a rabies reservoir species on several Islands in the Caribbean, was successfully immunized against rabies for the first time by offering animals a vaccine bait specifically designed for this small carnivore. The bait contained on average 0.6 mL of the genetically modified replication-competent rabies virus construct SPBN GASGAS (10(8.