1. 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

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

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

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

5. 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

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

7. 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

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

9. Bait/Vaccine

10. % 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%

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

12. 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.

13. 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…

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

16. Quebec
Vermont

17. 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.

18. 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

19. Role of vaccine spillage???
Coated schet
Fishmeal polymer

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

21. …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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

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

26. 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

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