A comparison of preexposure rabies prophylaxis regimens using duck embryo vaccine.

Following Pasteur’s initial development of rabies vaccine, a variety of rabies vaccines were prepared from nerve tissues. Such nerve tissue vaccines (NTV) proved highly effective, but were also associated with occasional neuroparalytic reactions. The development of duck embryo vaccine (DEV), which is not prepared from nerve tissue, led to a fall in the rate of serious reactions in rabies prophylaxis. Though the postexposure treatment failure rates for NTV and DEV do not differ significantly, the significantly lower incidence of central nervous system reactions with DEV has made its use preferable to that of NTV (1,Z). The present recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for preexposure rabies prophylaxis call for three subcutaneous injections of DEV (1 ml each) at weekly intervals, followed by a fourth 1 ml dose three months later. Three to four weeks after the last injection a serum sample should be collected for rabies antibody testing.