Successful Prophylaxis against Rabies in Mice and Rhesus Monkeys: The Interferon System and Vaccine

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 136; no. 2; pp. 286 - 291
• Main Authors: Baer, George M., Shaddock, John H., Moore, Sally A., Yager, Pamela A., Baron, Samuel S., Levy, Hilton B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The University of Chicago Press 01-08-1977; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Antiserum; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium - therapeutic use; Diploidy; Dosage; Haplorhini; Human resources; Interferons; Interferons - blood; Interferons - therapeutic use; Macaca mulatta; Major Articles; Mice; Mortality; Poly I-C - therapeutic use; Polylysine - therapeutic use; Rabies; Rabies - mortality; Rabies - prevention & control; Rabies Vaccines; Rabies virus; Rabies virus - immunology; Vaccination; Viruses
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/136.2.286

Addition of interferon to ineffective rabies virus vaccines by the local injection of either exogenous interferon or a potent interferon inducer (a complex of polyriboinosinic- polyribocytidylic acid containing polY-L-lysine and carboxymethylcellulose) into the footpads of mice previously challenged with rabies virus dramatically reduced the mortality rate. A significant reduction in mortality rate was also noted when the interferon system was administered to rhesus monkeys, but only when treatment was given 6 hr after challenge with rabies virus. Since the monkeys were given an overwhelming challenge of virus, the treatment had to be given quickly to obtain results comparable to those in mice.