Pre-exposure immunization against rabies: a re-emphasis for veterinarians

A serologic service for determining antibody levels due to prior rabies immunization was provided at an annual convention of the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association in January 1977. A total of 26 veterinarians volunteered to participate, and only 2 had adequate serum levels of antibody related solely to a pre-exposure immunization. An additional six veterinarians had high titers of antibody-probably the result of post-exposure immunization after rabies-proved incidents. The level of protection for veterinarians appears to be low, which suggests a need for a re-emphasis on immunizations and for increased availability of the relatively new human diploid cell vaccine.