ATTAINING RACCOON RABIES MANAGEMENT GOALS: HISTORY AND CHALLENGES Dennis Slate, Charles Rupprecht, Dennis Donovan, Jacqueline Badcock, Alain Messier, Richard Chipman, and Martin Mendoza Joint OIE/WHO/EU International Conference Paris, France May 27-30, 2007

RACCOON RABIES MANAGEMENT GOALS Phase 1: Prevent spread beyond current range of raccoon rabies Phase 2: Eliminate raccoon rabies locally, regionally, nationally, continentally

Potential for broad geographic spread in North America Raccoon Striped skunk Raccoon variant © Roger Barbour/ www.discoverlife.org

Raccoon Rabies ORV History 1997-2006 ~8 million baits in 2006 Raboral V-RG®

CHALLENGES AND PROGRESS ON INITIATIVES Real-time enhanced rabies surveillance Improve existing bait-oral vaccine/new more effective bait-oral vaccine Local elimination of raccoon variant Continental approach to rabies management

Enhanced Surveillance dRIT- direct rapid immunohistochemical test negative positive Measure performance toward goals… Enhanced Surveillance

RabID Central repository for: Public health surveillance data provided by states Enhanced surveillance data provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Wildlife Services Surveillance shared via interactive mapping on the Internet Phased in, includes 8 states

Current Raccoon Rabies Front Enhanced Rabies Sampling Strange acting animals Suggestive lesions Road kills Animals found dead Focal trap or shoot

Bait/Vaccine

% POSITIVE (x±SD) RABIES ANTIBODY RESPONSE ALL STATES % POSITIVE (x±SD) RABIES ANTIBODY RESPONSE ne = # events ns= # states na= # animals CH protection… ne=11 ns=7 na=1,468 ne=7 ns=6 na=302 ne=54 ns=11 na=8,431 ne=37 ns=10 na=6,813 7.7±6.4% 8.3±11.4% 26.9±12.0% 30.3±11.1%

Skunks …role of striped skunk in raccoon rabies dynamics? Skunks infected with raccoon rabies Skunks

Contingency Action Taken ORV Zone Contingency Action Taken However, we find ourselves increasingly committing resources to contingency actions to “hold the line or restore ORV zones to rabies free status. And, while contingency actions are an integral component of ORV—we must be able ot address emergencies that threaten to compromise the larger effort—the frequency and nature of CA taken to date in raccoon rabies control are an indicator of concern.

Contingency Action Planning for Specific Rabies Variant Raccoon rabies is… beyond ORV zone (>80km) beyond but near ORV zone within an ORV zone persisting within contingency zone spreading toward an ORV zone spreading-no ORV zone established Measure performance toward goals…

Contingency Actions Integrated action enhanced surveillance localized population reduction trap-vaccinate-release (TVR) ORV

Quebec Vermont

Trap-Vaccinate-Release Measure performance toward goals… Note: One of the 12 trappers was replaced by another trapper and they split time on the project. In addition one trapper was only able to trap for 5 days.

non-target competition for baits Challenges…. non-target competition for baits target species translocation oral rabies vaccine rivers population dynamics habitat preferences lakes population density delivery mode mountainous habitat bait density population structure major road systems bait distribution pattern bait/attractant baiting frequency time of baiting metropolitan areas natural movement patterns inner coastal plain pine habitat ORV area size and shape

Role of vaccine spillage??? Coated schet Fishmeal polymer

…Prospective Oral Rabies Vaccines Canine Adenovirus2—Rabies Glycoprotein Other candidates (e.g., reverse genetics modified live)

…Prospective Oral Rabies Vaccines ONRAB(AdRG1.3) Human Adenovirus vector Encouraging results in skunks and raccoons from field trial August 2006 Field trials continue in 2007

Local Elimination (?) of Raccoon Variant of Rabies Ontario Raccoon cases New Brunswick Raccoon and skunk cases Number cases 2000 – three 2001 – forty eight 2002 = three (May

Success Characteristics in Ontario and New Brunswick Rabies Emergence northern periphery of raccoon rabies range raccoon densities ~ 7-10/km2 adjacent to ORV zones in US Integrated Control Strategy heavily dependent population reduction and TVR ORV not used in New Brunswick Number cases 2000 – three 2001 – forty eight 2002 = three (May

Continential Framework North American Rabies Management Plan Planning Team Representation: Border states and provincial agencies, federal agencies, Native peoples, Universities Ottawa, Canada, October 2005 RITA Jacksonville, FL March 2006 Brasilia, Brazil October 2006 RITA Mexico City, Mexico November 2006 San Antonio, TX March 2007 Wildlife Public Health Agriculture Continential Framework

North American Rabies Management Plan …potential areas for collaboration Information transfer Surveillance and monitoring Research Rabies control

International Cooperation Northeast U.S. and Canada Rabies Vaccination Zones Canada-U.S. Ontario Red Fox - ORV U.S. Raccoon- ORV Ontario and New Brunswick Raccoon - TVR Ontario Raccoon - ORV

SUMMARY Progress Challenge/Initiative 4…………. 2…………. 1…………. 3…………. Relative Progress Scale: low to high 1 2 3 4 5 Progress Challenge/Initiative 4…………. 2…………. 1…………. 3…………. Real-time enhanced rabies surveillance Baits/vaccine Local elimination of raccoon variant Continental approach to rabies management