A genetically modified rabies vaccine (ERAGS) induces protective immunity in dogs and cattle

The current live attenuated rabies vaccine must be replaced with a safer vaccine based on the ERAGS strain to prevent rabies in South Korea. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a new strain in dogs and cattle.

The ERAGS strain, featuring two mutations altering two amino acids in a glycoprotein of rabies virus, was propagated in NG108-15 cells. We lyophilized the virus in the presence of two different stabilizers to evaluate the utilities of such preparations as novel rabies vaccines for animals. To explore safety and immunogenicity, dogs and cattle were inoculated with the vaccine at various doses via different routes and observed daily for 8 weeks post-inoculation (WPI). Immunogenicity was evaluated using a fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The two different stabilizers did not differ greatly in terms of maintenance of virus viability in accelerated stability testing. No clinical signs of rabies developed in dogs or cattle inoculated with the vaccines (10^7.0 FAID₅₀/mL). Dogs and cattle inoculated intramuscularly with 10^5.0 FAID₅₀/mL exhibited virus neutralization assay titers of 4.6 IU/mL and 1.5 to 0.87 IU/mL at 4 WPI, respectively. All control animals remained rabies virus-seronegative throughout, confirming that no contact transmission occurred between vaccinated and control animals.

Our findings indicate that the new rabies vaccine is safe and immunogenic in dogs and cattle.