[Feline rhinotracheitis: a purified inactive vaccine and an experimental model]

The medical prophylaxis of feline rhinotracheitis is presently carried out varying success, using three sorts of vaccine: 1. A so-called "attenuated" living virus vaccine, administrable by parental route. 2. A modified living virus vaccine administrable by nasal route. 3. An activated virus vaccine with adjuvant incorporated, administrable by parental route. When this third sort of vaccine was used in contaminated catteries, unfavorable clinical signs were sometimes observed, which resulted in a state of hypersensitivity and even causing excretion of latent virus from convalescent cats which were carriers of Herpes virus. First of all we checked that this was a specific reaction and that it was directly in relation to the viral antigen. Our study was then directed towards the biochemical analysis of the virus and the determination of the sensitizing antigenic fractions and to the immunogenic fraction of the Herpes virus felis. In this paper we report the first results obtained. However, going further than the feline Herpes virus, we think that this is a practical experimental model which could be used in the study of other Herpes virus.