The Control of Raccoon Rabies in Ontario Canada: Proactive and Reactive Tactics, 1994–2007

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Proactive and reactive tactics have been utilized in Ontario, Canada, to prevent raccoon rabies from becoming established. A total of 96,621 raccoons (Procyon lotor) and 7,967 striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) were live captured using 1,221,044 trap nights, vaccinated against rabies by injection, and released, during proactive Trap-Vaccinate-Release (TVR) programs in southern Ontario during 1994-2007. During those years, on average, 43% to 83% of the raccoon populations were vaccinated against rabies. In addition, 20,129 raccoons and 2,735 skunks were vaccinated against rabies, and 8,311 raccoons and 1,449 skunks were euthanized, using 576,359 trap nights, during reactive Point Infection Control (PIC) operations in eastern Ontario during 1999-2005. A significant correlation was detected between trapping effort and the percentage of the raccoon population that was vaccinated. Between 1999 and 2007, 132 cases of raccoon variant rabies (130 raccoons, two striped skunks) were reported in eastern Ontario. The last case occurred on 23 September 2005 with Ontario being free of reported raccoon rabies to 10 November 2008, proving that TVR and PIC are effective tactics for the control of this disease.

Home Range, Movements, and Habitat Utilization of Striped Skunk (<em>Mephitis mephitis</em>) in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada: Disease Management Implications

“…The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) used vector ecological data from this study, as well as others, to design effective tactics for the control of rabies in Ontario. As a result, the arctic variant of rabies was eliminated from metropolitan Toronto by 1996 (Rosatte et al 1992(Rosatte et al , 2007b) and the raccoon variant of rabies was eliminated in eastern Ontario by 2005 (Rosatte et al 2001(Rosatte et al , 2009). …”

SAFETY AND IMMUNOGENICITY OF ONTARIO RABIES VACCINE BAIT (ONRAB) IN THE FIRST US FIELD TRIAL IN RACCOONS (PROCYON LOTOR)

“…comm. ), suggesting dependence on virus spillover from the raccoon reservoir; 4) published and unpublished ONRAB data from Canada (USDA 2008a; Rosatte et al 2009a;Rees et al 2011); 5) results of border studies comparing ONRAB and Raboral V-RG under similar environmental and rabies management conditions Mainguy et al 2013); and 6) effectiveness in controlling rabies in residual foci in skunks through high bait densities (300 baits/km 2 ) and narrow flight lines (250 m; Rosatte et al 2011). We summarize key safety and immunogenicity findings of this ONRAB trial in raccoons and skunks, the first study of this type in the US in .20 yr (Hanlon et al 1998;Roscoe et al 1998), and discuss management implications and recommendations.…”

Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2014

“…Oral vaccination of wildlife (primarily foxes and raccoons) has greatly reduced the spread of rabies in numerous countries in North America and Europe. [4][5][6] Rabies vaccination of bats is currently not feasible, and preventing infection of humans with bat rabies virus variants continues to rely on secondary intervention methods such as health education, exposure prevention, and postexposure prophylaxis.…”