NEW FACTS ABOUT DISTRIBUTION OF ORTHOPOX VIRUS-INFECTION IN CATS, FOXES AND WILD BOARS AND ABOUT DEVELOPMENT OF A VACCINE AGAINST FELINE POX

Sera of cats, foxes and wild boars were checked for specific antibodie s using the ELISA and neutralisation test to demonstrate an infection with orthopox viruses. 44 (2 percent) feline sera out of 2,173 reacted positively in the ELISA with tit es between 1:2 and 1:256. In order t o control ELISA results the positive sera were examined in the plaque reduction test. In 9 sera only - with an ELISA-titre above 1 : 4 - PRT antibodies were determined. In Western blotting analysis the feline s era detected cowpox virus proteins somewhat better than vaccinia virus proteins. Epidemiographically, there is an equal dispersion of the EL ISA positive feline sera over the area of the ''old'' federal countrie s of Germany, except a certain accumulation in the south west part of the country. 154 (18,6 percent) out of 830 fox sera reacted positively with ELISA-titres between 1 : 2 and 1 : 128. Eight of 215 wild boar s era (3,7 percent) showed ELISA-titres between 1 : 2 and 1 : 256. Conce rning the positive fox sera 129 reacted positive in the PRT (titre 1 : 2 up to 1 : 64), concerning the wilde boar sera all 8 reacted with ti tres between 1 : 2 and 1 : 64. That means that a great portion of the PRT-tire corresponds with the ELISA-titre or a titre degree below. Fox and wild boar sera also detected OPV-specific polypeptides in Western blots. The result of the experimental prophylactic immunization of ca ts with the attenuated live vaccinia virus strain MVA allows the follo wing statements: 1. The vaccination is innocuous for seronegative as w ell as for seropositive cats and puppies. 2. Two vaccinations are nece ssary for the basis immunization at an interval of 3 to 4 weeks. The f irst vaccination should be done after the 12th week of life. 3. The vi rus amount for each animal and vaccination should at least be 10(7.0) KID50. 4. Seropositive animals responded to the first vaccination with a booster effect. An interference between the vaccine and already exi sting serum antibodies did not occur. Postvaccinal allergies were not observed in seropositive cats.