A Serosurvey of Rabies Antibodies in Dogs in Gaborone, Botswana

摘要

During a serosurvey of domestic dogs in Botswana, an immuno-enzyme technique (ELISA) was used to measure rabies antibodies in dogs. Serum samples were collected from the dogs at their visits to three small animal clinics, in and around Gaborone. Overall, 148/276 (54%) of the sera samples were positive with antibody levels 0.5 IU mL 1 indicative of effectiveness of protection against rabies challenge. Where vaccination history was available 90 dogs, 47/90 (52%) serum samples demonstrated 0.5 IU mL 1 with 43/90 (48%) having antirabies antibodies < 0.5 IU mL 1. Dogs that had history of two, three and four successive rabies vaccinations showed better responses with 63, 66 and 100%, showing levels 0.5 IU mL 1, respectively, as compared to only 46% of dogs with a history of only one vaccination being positive. It is recommended that the practice of vaccinating of dogs against rabies annually be continued since multiple vaccinations appear to give effective protection against rabies in dogs.