Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Cliquet

Publications and source records attributed to F Cliquet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

The safety and efficacy of the oral rabies vaccine SAG2 in Indian stray dogs.

India is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of human rabies throughout the world. Dogs are primarily responsible for rabies transmission. Among them, stray dogs play a major role in that country. Parenteral vaccination programmes are insufficient to eliminate rabies partly due to difficulties in establishing satisfactory immunisation coverage in the dog population in view of the high proportion of stray dogs. Oral vaccination may be a useful adjunct to parenteral vaccination by increasing dog vaccination coverage. Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of Rabidog SAG2 bait were evaluated in Indian stray dogs in captivity. Safety of SAG2 was demonstrated by the absence of adverse clinical sign, salivary excretion and absence of replication of the vaccine strain in brain and salivary glands of 21 vaccinated dogs, even when immunodepressed. Efficacy was shown 109 days post-vaccination after challenge with a highly virulent street rabies virus which killed all five controls whereas all nine vaccinated dogs survived, despite the fact that only five out of nine had seroconverted before challenge.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Use of filter paper (FTA) technology for sampling, recovery and molecular characterisation of rabies viruses.

This study evaluates the feasibility of the use of the FTA Gene Guard System (a commercial product consisting of filter paper impregnated with patented chemicals supplied by the Whatman company) for the shipment, storage and detection of RNA rabies viruses by a simplified hemi-nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. HnRT-PCR of the rabies virus nucleoprotein gene with specific primers showed that viral RNA extracted from crude infected tissues remained stable after fixation on the filter paper under diverse environmental conditions for at least 35 days. The sequence analysis of the products amplified from five out of the seven known genotypes of Lyssaviruses showed the stability of viral RNA viruses after fixation on the filter paper. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the hnRT-PCR following RNA fixation on the filter paper was equivalent to that of standard hnRT-PCR. In conclusion, the stability of viral RNA and the inactivation of infectivity make the FTA technology useful for the storage, transport, collection and subsequent molecular analysis of viral rabies RNA, facilitating epidemiological investigations in the field.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A quantitative indirect ELISA to monitor the effectiveness of rabies vaccination in domestic and wild carnivores.

This paper reports a new ELISA to measure the level of rabies anti-glycoprotein G antibodies after vaccination. The Platelia Rabies II kit was evaluated on different populations of dogs, cats and foxes. For each target species, sera from naive, unvaccinated and vaccinated animals were tested. Platelia Rabies II results were compared to the reference fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation test (for dogs and cats) and to a published in house ELISA test (for foxes). The Platelia Rabies II test was found to be highly specific whatever the species (more than 98%) using a cut-off value of 0.5 EU/ml. The index of sensitivity was between 92.4% and 94.5% for fox samples, and reached 83% for domestic carnivores. Data collected by testing field samples revealed that the rate of false negative results ranged between 8.9% and 11.1% and the rate of false positive results ranged between 1% and 2% for the dog/cat population. Therefore, the Platelia Rabies II test described here would be a good candidate for routine detection of rabies antibodies not only in domestic carnivores (within the framework of international trade) but also in foxes for the follow up of rabies oral vaccination programs.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Dynamics of Puumala virus infection in bank voles in Ardennes department (France).

The hantaviruses (genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae) include human pathogens and occur worldwide. In Western and Central Europe, the predominant serotype is Puumala (PUU) virus, which causes epidemic nephropathy. Voles are considered to be the main reservoir and the vector of PUU virus. A total of 719 rodents (mainly Clethrionomys glareolus, Apodemus sp.) trapped by capture-mark-recapture (CMR) in four sites in Ardennes department (France) between April 2004 and October 2005 were tested for the presence of PUU virus antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The predominant species, C. glareolus (86.5% [622 of 719]), also had the highest antibody prevalence (37.6% [291 of 773]). In C. glareolus, the antibody prevalence rate increased with age (weight) in site A, B and D, reaching more than 50% in the heaviest weight, and suggesting that horizontal infection may be important.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Collaborative study to evaluate a new ELISA test to monitor the effectiveness of rabies vaccination in domestic carnivores.

To prevent any introduction of rabies, many rabies-free countries have adopted a scheme requiring the rabies vaccination of pets associated with a serological test. FAVN test and RFFIT are the current OIE prescribed techniques to perform this assay. A qualitative indirect ELISA (Serelisa) test has been recently described as a screening test to monitor the effectiveness of rabies vaccination of pets. A lack of sensitivity requires ELISA negative samples to be retested using an OIE confirmatory test. This raised the question whether this new test could be reasonably proposed as an alternative tool in the context of international trades of pets. The Community Reference Institute of Nancy organized a short trial to answer this question. In this study, 16 laboratories tested a panel of their own samples with FAVN test/RFFIT and the Serelisa. The comparison of results revealed that the performance of the Serelisa is highly heterogeneous. A lack of sensitivity was detected in 50% of participants, when 25% of laboratories obtained a significant rate of false positive results. This last point questions the pertinence of using the Serelisa in the context of international trades by preventing any movements of insufficiently or non-protected animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Safety and efficacy of the oral rabies vaccine SAG2 in raccoon dogs.

Oral vaccination programmes in several rabies-infected countries from Northern and Eastern Europe should not be restricted to foxes but should target raccoon dogs as well. The safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of Rabigen SAG2 bait was evaluated in raccoon dogs. Safety of SAG2 was demonstrated after direct instillation (n = 5) or ingestion of a bait (n = 5) using a quantity of virus at least 10 times superior to the field dose. All animals seroconverted and remained healthy. Raccoon dogs were vaccinated by SAG2 bait ingestion and unvaccinated raccoon dogs were kept as controls. More than 6 months after oral vaccination, all animals were challenged with a highly virulent street rabies virus. All 28 vaccinated animals developed high rabies neutralizing antibody titres. After virulent challenge, all 11 controls succumbed to rabies, whereas all 28 vaccinates survived.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Molecular epidemiology of rabies viruses in Europe.

Several different strains of classical rabies virus co-circulate in Europe. In order to investigate the roles of the host species and topography on the molecular epidemiology of these viruses, a 400 bp region of the nucleoprotein gene was sequenced and compared with more than 500 European virus isolates. Viruses from 21 European countries were represented including some unique panels of archived isolates from the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria. Phylogenetic analysis of 198 unique sequences demonstrated numerous groups of viruses clustered at both geographical and host-species levels.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Rabies diagnosis.

A reliable diagnosis of rabies can only be made based on laboratory examination of specimens collected from suspected animals. Without data from diagnostic tests, it is not possible to establish rabies control policies. These data are also necessary for evaluating the impact of control measures on the disease and to adapt veterinary and human health policies to the rabies situation. This paper presents the routine laboratory techniques for rabies diagnosis that are published and recommended by both the OIE and WHO and which form the basis of rabies surveillance. They are presented along with more recent techniques which have proved useful in epidemiological and phylogenetic studies. The first step in controlling a disease is to be able to identify it consistently. A reliable and sensitive diagnostic test is therefore essential for use in epidemiological studies and disease control. Reliable diagnosis is also needed by official medical and veterinary services to decide how to deal with infected humans or animals. Without knowing where rabies is present in a country, it is difficult to establish a solid, long-term control policy. A viral disease may be diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs or after laboratory examination. Clinical diagnosis is based on the observation of symptoms and on observation of specific or at least highly evocative signs. Laboratory tests reveal the presence of infection using either indirect or direct methods. The most frequently used indirect methods are based on serological testing. Direct methods aim to detect the virus itself, its proteins, genetic material or traces of its replication in tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Tools for rabies serology to monitor the effectiveness of rabies vaccination in domestic and wild carnivores.

Serology remains the only way to monitor the effectiveness of vaccination of humans and animals against rabies. Many techniques for determining the level of rabies antibodies have been described, including seroneutralisation techniques such as tests for fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN) and rapid fluorescent focus inhibition (RFFIT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and in-vivo tests (the mouse neutralisation test, MNT). The need to verify the effectiveness of rabies vaccination has become widespread, particularly in the context of international trading of domestic carnivores from infected to rabies-free territories. The standardisation of serological techniques, approval of laboratories and proficiency tests are key concepts to ensure the practicability of such systems. Serological tests for rabies are also often used by laboratories in infected territories to assess the efficacy of campaigns aimed at the eradication of the disease via oral vaccination of wildlife. The adaptation of these methods should provide the means to titrate specific antibodies in dogs during mass parenteral vaccination in countries infected by canine rabies. However, in most cases these serological tests are carried without any standardised procedure. On the basis of our experience in rabies serology and its harmonisation throughout laboratories worldwide, we propose here an adapted standard technique for the serological monitoring for rabies in wildlife at the European level. Such harmonisation would allow the monitoring of vaccination campaigns to be enhanced by increasing the exchange of epidemiological data, with the ultimate goal being the eradication of rabies in Europe.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Means used for terrestrial rabies elimination in France and policy for rabies surveillance in case of re-emergence.

In France, the first case of wildlife rabies was detected in 1968, with the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as reservoir and vector of terrestrial rabies. The last case was reported at the end of 1998. The maximum infected area amounted to 140,000 km2 in 1989 with a record number of 4,213 infected wild and domestic animals. The contaminated areas included various landscapes such as low populated farming areas and low mountainous areas as well as very densely populated areas and industrial areas contiguously urbanised. Oral vaccination of wildlife against rabies was implemented in 1986 and 1987 on limited areas treated by hand distribution and then helicopter distribution was implemented in 1988. The control of wildlife rabies was centralised at the country level in one institute for elaboration of baiting strategies, rabies surveillance network, laboratory investigations such as tetracycline and serological testing, vaccine titration and rabies diagnosis. Oral vaccination campaigns were organised in spring and in autumn by dropping annually 40 baits/km2. The following vaccine baits were used: SAD B19 from 1986 to 1992, SAG1/SAG2 from 1990 to 2003 and VRG from 1989 to 2003. A cost analysis study of the system of oral vaccination implemented in France demonstrated that it is beneficial compared to the traditional expenses of rabies control. Animal rabies prophylaxis has been progressively adapted to the disease free status of the country; the surveillance network for rabies is still working and an emergency procedure is in place in the event of a re-emergence of the disease in the context of high density fox populations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

First oral vaccination of wildlife against rabies in Estonia.

Estonia is a small country, with many islands, that covers a total area of 45,000 km2 in the Baltic region. Rabies is widely distributed all over the country, even on some islands. The disease is maintained by two species: red foxes and raccoon dogs. In 2003, 813 cases of rabies were recorded with 315 cases in foxes and 362 cases in raccoon dogs; since 2002 the latter species has had the highest level of rabies infection among all animal species in Estonia. The measure used to control rabies is vaccination of dogs and cats, as they are the source on infection of humans. In Spring 2004, a limited trial of oral vaccination of wildlife was conducted. The goal of this was to train the actors who will be implicated in larger future campaigns. This trial was conducted on Vormsi island (92 km2), located 10 km away from the west coast. Oral vaccination was performed manually over three days with SAG2 baits (Virbac company, France), by three teams.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Bat rabies surveillance in France, from 1989 through May 2005.

In France, the passive surveillance of lyssaviruses in bats started in 1989, with the first positive case found in the East of the country. In 2000, the French bat rabies surveillance network in France was improved on the basis of the one used for the surveillance of fox rabies. The objectives of this network are to improve bat rabies surveillance by increasing the number of specimens and to provide an estimation of rabies incidence in bat populations across the country. The surveillance network is principally constituted by the network of local Veterinary Services and by the National Bat Conservationists Network (French Society for the Study and Protection of Mammals). From 1989 to through 2004, 21 autochtonous rabies cases were diagnosed out of the 934 French bat cadavers found. The laboratory techniques used for diagnosis, recommended by WHO and OIE, were fluorescent antibody test (FAT), rabies tissue culture infection test (RTCIT) on murine neuroblastoma cells, and the mouse inoculation test (MIT). All 21 cases were diagnosed in serotine bats (Eptesicus serotinus) and were due to European bat lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1), genotype 5, infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in wild boars in France using PCR techniques against larval form.

Recently, new data have been collected on the distribution and ecology of Echinococcus multilocularis in European countries. Different ungulates species such as pig, goat, sheep, cattle and horse are known to host incomplete development of larval E. multilocularis. We report a case of E. multilocularis portage in two wild boars from a high endemic area in France (Department of Jura). Histological examination was performed and the DNA was isolated from hepatic lesions then amplified by using three PCR methods in two distinct institutes. Molecular characterisation of PCR products revealed 99% nucleotide sequence homology with the specific sequence of the U1 sn RNA gene of E. multilocularis, 99 and 99.9% nucleotide sequence homology with the specific sequence of the cytochrome oxydase gene of Echinococcus genus and 99.9% nucleotide sequence homology with a genomic DNA sequence of Echinococcus genus for the first and the second wild boar, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Salivary excretion of rabies virus by healthy vampire bats.

Salivary excretion of rabies virus was evaluated in 14 adult vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) intramuscularly injected with a large dose (10(6) MICLD50) of vampire rabies virus variant CASS88. Saliva samples were obtained from surviving bats every other day for 30 days, then weekly for 2 months, and finally 1 and 2 years later. Rabies virus was isolated in murine neuroblastoma cells and in randomly selected cases by PCR. Rabies virus was not detected in the saliva of any of the 11 animals that succumbed (somewhat early) to rabies challenge, nor in the control bats. In contrast, virus was detected early, and only once (days 6, 6 and 21) in each of the three animals that survived rabies challenge and remained healthy for at least 2 years after challenge. At that time even vigorous dexamethasone and cyclosporine administration failed to provoke further viral excretion.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

An imported case of canine rabies in Aquitaine: investigation and management of the contacts at risk, August 2004-March 2005.

In August 2004, a case of rabies was diagnosed in a puppy that had been illegally imported from Morocco to Bordeaux (France). Because a great number of people and animals were thought to have come into contact with the puppy, extensive tracing measures were implemented, and an international alert was launched to trace and treat the contacts at risk. One hundred and eighty seven people received post-exposure treatment, eight of whom also received serovaccination, and 57 animals known to have been exposed to the puppy were tested. Six months after the death of the rabid animal, none of the people treated showed any signs of rabies, nor was any secondary animal case reported. The management of this crisis highlights the importance of the role of a rapid alert system at European level. Strict application of sanitary control regulations is essential for animals introduced into EU countries, and all necessary information must be made available to EU residents travelling to rabies enzootic areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Genetic analysis of European bat lyssavirus type 1 isolates from France.

European bat lyssavirus type 1a (EBLV-1a) was first identified in central France from a serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) collected at the end of 2002. Rabies was diagnosed by reference rabies diagnosis methods and molecular tools. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 viral isolates obtained from French bats infected with EBLV-1 between 1989 and the end of 2002 against 47 nucleoprotein sequences showed a north-west to east distribution of EBLV-1a virus and a south to north distribution of EBLV-1b virus, isolates of which could be divided into two groups: group 1 in north-eastern France and group 2 in central and north-western France.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Development of a hemi-nested RT-PCR method for the specific determination of European Bat Lyssavirus 1. Comparison with other rabies diagnostic methods.

A simplified hemi-nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (hnRT-PCR) has been developed to determine specifically the European Bat Lyssavirus 1 (EBLV-1) nucleoprotein gene. The specificity of this method was determined by using the seven genotypes of lyssavirus by RT-PCR, Southern blot and sequence analysis. Compared to the rabies diagnostic methods, the hnRT-PCR showed a higher sensitivity for the detection of small amounts of EBLV-1 virus. In view of these results, we suggest this new hnRT-PCR should be performed for the epidemiological survey of bat colonies, also providing rapid detection and genotyping of EBLV-1 until now encountered in all naturally infected bats in France.

Amino Acid Sequence↗