SAFETY AND SEROLOGICAL RESPONSE TO MULTIVALENT CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS VACCINE IN RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES)

Canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccination using commercial vaccines has been recommended as a useful preventive tool in zoological collections worldwide for the past 30 yr. Zoological facilities have not conducted studies to assess the effectiveness and safety of the multivalent Recombitek C6 and C8 in nondomestic carnivores. They are the only CDV recombinant vaccines available in Latin America. Seventeen clinically healthy red foxes born in Buin Zoo were divided into three groups and administered 1 ml of Recombitek C6 vaccine. Group A consisted of three animals of 9 mo of age without previous vaccination (WPV) that received a single dose. Group B consisted of four animals of 10 mo of age WPV; they received a series of three doses with a 21-day interval between doses. Group C consisted of eight animals > 1 yr of age that had received a previous vaccination > 1 yr ago; they received a single-dose booster vaccination. Titers for antibodies against CDV were measured by a serum neutralization test. All animals remained clinically healthy throughout the study period and without clinical signs of disease. Only two foxes (group C) did not show any increase in the antibody titer to the vaccine. All animals of groups A and B seroconverted at 21 days after the first vaccination. Only two animals (both from group B) showed an adequate antibody protective response (titers >100) after 180 days. Absence of adverse reactions in red foxes included in this study supports the safety and apparently nondeleterious effect of CDV recombinant vaccine reported in other nondomestic carnivores. Low antibody response and lack of persistence in the serological response 6 mo after vaccination with a single dose suggested limited protective benefits in this species. Additional research is needed to confirm the antibody titer response to multiple vaccinations in this species.