Dissémination volontaire du virus recombinant vaccine-rage (VVTGgRAB, souche 187XP 26D3) sur le terrain dans le cadre d'un projet d'éradication de la rage vulpine en Belgique 

A large-scale field trial using the recombinant vaccinia-rabies virus started in Belgium in November 1989. Twenty-five thousand similar baits each containing 10 exposant 8 TCb 50 of VVTGgRAB were dropped by helicopters in a 2200 km2 area in south Belgium. This campaign has been repeated in April 1990. After the baiting campaign. both efficacy and innocuity of the method were monitored in the field as well as in laboratory. A fiel control of the bait uptake has shown that 96 % of the baits were either consumed or at least removed by animals after 30 days. After the first vaccination campaign, 23 adult foxes,33 cats,9 dogs, 10 stone martens, 1 badger, 1 wild cat and 24 rodents were collected within the treated area for postmortem examination, rabies diagnosis and tetracycline (biomarker) detection. No pox-like lesion could be detect in any specimen.