Publication trends in research on oral rabies vaccination in animals: A bibliometric analysis

Rabies remains a serious global zoonotic disease, and the administration of an oral rabies vaccine (ORV) is a critical strategy for its control and eradication. Understanding the historical trajectory, key themes, and collaborative framework of ORV research is essential to guide future efforts.

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of animal oral rabies vaccination research from 1971 to 2024. The main objectives of this study were to assess research productivity, identify geographic centers, identify emerging research trends, and identify knowledge gaps on ORVs.

Data for this analysis were carefully collected from the Scopus database, yielding 287 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Bibliometrix and VOSviewer were used to perform keyword occurrence analysis, map citation patterns, visualize collaborative networks, and analyze temporal trends.

The results showed a steady annual growth rate of 2.09%, with peak publications in 1988, 2001, 2012, and 2013. The United States led the list of countries in terms of productivity, followed by Germany and France, where the Journal of Wildlife Diseases was the leading publisher. Research trends showed a clear shift from early work on live attenuated vaccines (1988-2008) to the development of recombinant vaccines and advanced delivery methods (1990-2012), along with an increasing focus on immune responses and viral genetics. Keyword co-occurrence highlighted the following major topics: "rabies virus," "rabies vaccine," and "oral administration," with a primary and secondary focus on wild and domestic animals, respectively.

Research on ORVs in animals has made significant advances in vaccine technology, immunology, and wildlife applications. However, considerable knowledge gaps remain in evaluating the implementation of oral rabies vaccination programs. Furthermore, future research is expected to emphasize vaccine efficacy in different ecological contexts in wild animals and application in domestic animals to ensure that rabies control efforts are sustainable.