Neurologic illness following post-exposure prophylaxis with purifiled chick embryo cell antirabies vaccine

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Vaccinology
• Immunology

Background:

• Rabies is a fatal viral disease requiring prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
• Purified chick embryo cell (PCEC) rabies vaccine is widely used for PEP.
• Neurologic complications are rare but serious adverse events associated with vaccinations.

Observation:

• A patient developed a neurologic illness with symptoms similar to Guillain Barre syndrome.
• The illness onset followed the administration of PCEC anti-rabies vaccine as part of PEP.
• This specific neurologic complication has not been previously documented after PCEC vaccination.

Findings:

• The clinical presentation mimicked Guillain Barre syndrome.
• The temporal association suggests a potential link between PCEC vaccination and the observed neurologic event.
• This represents a novel adverse event following PCEC rabies vaccine administration.

Implications:

• This case report expands the known spectrum of potential adverse events associated with PCEC rabies vaccine.
• Further investigation may be warranted to understand the mechanism and incidence of such neurologic complications.
• Clinicians should be aware of this potential neurologic adverse event when administering PCEC vaccines.