Evaluation of Bait Station Density for Oral Rabies Vaccination of Raccoons in Urban and Rural Habitats in Florida

Abstract

Efforts to eliminate the raccoon variant of the rabies virus (raccoon rabies) in the eastern United States by USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services and cooperators have included the distribution of oral rabies vaccine baits from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bait stations in west-central Florida from 2009 to 2015. Achieving sufficient vaccine bait uptake among urban raccoons is problematic, given limitations on aerial and vehicle-based bait distribution for safety and other reasons. One or three bait stations/km2 were deployed across four 9-km2 sites within rural and urban sites in Pasco and Pinellas Counties, Florida. Based on tetracycline biomarker analysis, bait uptake was only significantly different among the urban (Pinellas County) high and low bait station densities in 2012 (p = 0.0133). Significant differences in RVNA were found between the two bait station densities for both urban 2011 and 2012 samples (p = 0.0054 and p = 0.0031). Landscape differences in terms of urban structure and human population density may modify raccoon travel routes and behavior enough for these differences to emerge in highly urbanized Pinellas County, but not in rural Pasco County. The results suggest that, in urban settings, bait stations deployed at densities of >1/km2 are likely to achieve higher seroprevalence as an index of population immunity critical to successful raccoon rabies control.

A Global Perspective on Oral Vaccination of Wildlife Against Rabies

“…Such emergency responses were expensive, involving ERS activities, additional bait drops (e.g., twice a year), or higher bait densities (e.g., 150-300 baits/km 2 ), augmented with additional methods (e.g., TVR). To maximize raccoon vaccination and to help minimize bait contact by nontarget species such as humans, domestic cats, or opossums (Didelphis virginiana), bait stations were employed, particularly in suburban and urban environments (Boulanger et al 2006;Bjorklund et al 2017;Haley et al 2017;Bastille-Rousseau et al 2024).…”

Knowledge of rabies among rural community in Chengalpet district, India

“…This knowledge aids us in averting hundreds of thousands of rabies deaths each year. [ 8 ] Along with research and advancements on vaccines [ 12 , 26 , 38 , 40 , 47 ] and vaccination strategies for animals [ 17 , 18 , 34 , 41 , 42 , 44 , 50 ] those transmit rabies, there are potent human rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins for effective management of rabies. But there seems to be a problem in availability and affordability of these for the individuals nursing a dog bite.…”

Progress towards Bait Station Integration into Oral Rabies Vaccination Programs in the United States: Field Trials in Massachusetts and Florida

“…Experimental bait stations based partially on the Cornell design were constructed from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), filled with RABORAL V-RG FMP baits, and deployed over a 3 km 2 study area in South Yarmouth (2006–2008) at a very high density (8/km 2 ; n = 24) to assess their utility there. In addition to investigations into the use of bait stations by WS in Massachusetts in 2006, bait station trials also began in Florida in 2009 [ 14 ].…”