Challenges to controlling rabies in skunk populations using oral rabies vaccination: A review.

Controlling rabies in skunk populations is an important public health concern in many parts of the United States due to the potential for skunk rabies outbreaks in urban centres and the possible role for skunks in raccoon rabies variant circulation. Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programmes have supported wildlife rabies control efforts globally but using ORV to control rabies in skunk populations has proven more challenging than with other target species, like foxes, coyotes and raccoons. A review of published studies found that some ORV constructs are immunogenic in skunks and protect against virulent rabies virus challenges, especially when delivered by direct installation into the oral cavity.

Oral vaccination of wildlife using a vaccinia-rabies-glycoprotein recombinant virus vaccine (RABORAL V-RG): a global review.

RABORAL V-RG is an oral rabies vaccine bait that contains an attenuated ("modified-live") recombinant vaccinia virus vector vaccine expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein gene (V-RG). Approximately 250 million doses have been distributed globally since 1987 without any reports of adverse reactions in wildlife or domestic animals since the first licensed recombinant oral rabies vaccine (ORV) was released into the environment to immunize wildlife populations against rabies. V-RG is genetically stable, is not detected in the oral cavity beyond 48 h after ingestion, is not shed by vaccinates into the environment, and has been tested for thermostability under a range of laboratory and field conditions.

Epidemiology of rabies in bats in Texas (2001-2010).

Objective: To obtain epidemiological information on rabies in bats in Texas.

Design: Epidemiological study.

Sample: Laboratory reports of bats that had been submitted for rabies testing in Texas from 2001 through 2010.

Evaluation of a postexposure rabies prophylaxis protocol for domestic animals in Texas: 2000-2009.

Objective: To determine whether postexposure rabies prophylaxis (PEP) in domestic animals, as mandated in Texas, has continued to be effective and to evaluate preexposure or postexposure vaccination failures from 2000 through 2009.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 1,014 unvaccinated domestic animals (769 dogs, 126 cats, 72 horses, 39 cattle, 3 sheep, 4 goats, and 1 llama) that received PEP and 12 vaccinated domestic animals (7 dogs and 5 cats) with possible failure of protection.

Epidemiology of rabies in skunks in Texas.

Objective: To obtain epidemiologic information on rabies in skunks in Texas.

Design: Epidemiologic study.

Sample Population: Reports of skunks that had been submitted for rabies testing in Texas from 1953 through 2007.

Enzootic rabies elimination from dogs and reemergence in wild terrestrial carnivores, United States.

To provide molecular and virologic evidence that domestic dog rabies is no longer enzootic to the United States and to identify putative relatives of dog-related rabies viruses (RVs) circulating in other carnivores, we studied RVs associated with recent and historic dog rabies enzootics worldwide. Molecular, phylogenetic, and epizootiologic evidence shows that domestic dog rabies is no longer enzootic to the United States. Nonetheless, our data suggest that independent rabies enzootics are now established in wild terrestrial carnivores (skunks in California and north-central United States, gray foxes in Texas and Arizona, and mongooses in Puerto Rico), as a consequence of different spillover events from long-term rabies enzootics associated with dogs.

Evaluation of oral rabies vaccination programs for control of rabies epizootics in coyotes and gray foxes: 1995-2003.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of intervention efforts to halt 2 wildlife rabies epizootics from 1995 through 2003, including 9 oral rabies vaccination campaigns for coyotes and 8 oral rabies vaccination campaigns for gray foxes.

Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: 98 coyotes during prevaccination surveillance and 963 coyotes and 104 nontarget animals during postvaccination surveillance in south Texas, and 699 gray foxes and 561 nontarget animals during postvaccination surveillance in west-central Texas.

Accuracy of five on-site immunoassay drugs-of-abuse testing devices.

Many current "on-site" urine drug-testing products claim performance equivalent to laboratory testing. Five commercially available products (PharmScreen, Roche TestCup, Accusign DOA 2, Status DS, and American Bio Medica-Rapid Drug Screen) were challenged with quality-control specimens of known drug metabolite concentrations, 25% above and 25% below the SAMHSA cutoffs, and with known positive and negative donor specimens previously analyzed by immunoassay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results indicate discrepancies between claims and performance for all products, particularly with amphetamines.

Fate of [14C]xanthotoxin (8-methoxypsoralen) in a goat and in bovine ruminal fluid.

A lactating Nubian goat was treated with [14C]xanthotoxin, a photosensitizing psoralen that occurs naturally in some phototoxic range plants, as a single oral dose equivalent to 10.0 mg of xanthotoxin/kg of body weight. The radiochemical was rapidly absorbed, metabolized, and excreted.

Fate of photosensitizing furanocoumarins in tolerant and sensitive insects.

The fate of [(14)C]xanthotoxin (8-methoxypsoralen) was studied in larvae of insect species that are tolerant (Papilio polyxenes Stoll) or sensitive (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) to the phototoxic effects of photosensitizing psoralens.

Metabolic detoxification: mechanism of insect resistance to plant psoralens.

Larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes Stoll, forage successfully on plants that contain high levels of photosensitizing psoralens. These insects rapidly detoxify psoralens, particularly in the midgut tissue prior to absorption, with the result that appreciable levels of unmetabolized phototoxin do not enter the body circulation where deleterious light-induced interactions with dermal or subdermal tissues would occur.

Phototoxic effect of Thamnosma texana (Dutchman's breeches) in sheep.

Oral exposure of sheep to the airdried, aerial portions of Thamnosma texana (Dutchman's breeches) resulted in severe photosensitization. Sheep fed the plant at 9 or 12 g/kg of body weight/day and held in direct sunlight exhibited signs of phototoxicosis within 24 to 48 hours. The clinical signs manifested were increased body temperature; photophobia; edema of the muzzle, ears, and vulva; keratoconjunctivitis with edema of the cornea; and exudative dermatitis of the skin of the ears, muzzle, and vulva.

HPLC analysis of linear furocoumarins (psoralens) in healthy celery (Apium graveolens).

Four linear furocoumarins (psoralen, bergapten, xanthotoxin, and isopimpinellin) were isolated from three varieties of healthy, commercially grown celery (Apium graveolens). Psoralen has not previously been reported to occur in celery. Combined levels of these photomutagenic and photocarcinogenic furocoumarins measured by normal-phase HPLC did not exceed 1.