An update on safety studies on the attenuated "RIEMSER (R) Schweinepestoralvakzine" for vaccination of wild boar against classical swine fever

The RIEMSER (R) Schweinepestoralvakzine is an attenuated vaccine for oral vaccination of wild boar against classical swine fever (CSF). The safety of this licensed bait vaccine which is based on the CSF virus (CSFV) strain "C" was investigated in eight animal species, e.g. weaner pigs (n = 111), wild boar (n = 11), ruminants (cattle, goats and sheep, n = 11), foxes (n = 5), rabbits (n = 12), and mice (n = 10). Animals were vaccinated either with a single vaccine dose containing at least 10(4.5) TCID50, or with overdoses, i.e. the 10-fold dose, or they were subjected to repeated application schemes. During the entire observation period none of the animals which were given the vaccine virus showed clinical signs, with the exception of rabbits. These reacted to the vaccination with fever. Orally vaccinated pigs did not transmit vaccine virus to susceptible contact animals (sentinels). In none of the species examined neither vaccine virus nor viral RNA could be detected in blood after vaccination. In one wild boar viral RNA could be established in the tonsil 21 days post-vaccination (dpv); all other organ samples tested virologically negative. Up to 77.5% of the pigs and wild boar developed virus neutralising antibodies (VNA) already 14 dpv. The mean VNA titres observed in the vaccination groups seemed to depend rather on individual factors than on the administered virus dose (virus titre per dose) or the vaccination scheme. These results are comparable with findings obtained during oral vaccination campaigns in wild boar and after parenteral vaccination with this C-strain virus. From the results presented here it can be concluded that RIEMSER (R) Schweinepestoralvakzine is safe for target and non-target species. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved