HDCS
vaccine has been in official use in the F.R.G. for pre- and post-exposure vaccination of man, after having shown its superiority to the Hempt and duck embryo
vaccine--as far as compatibility, antigenicity and protective capacity is concerned--since February 1977. HDCS
vaccines of both manufacturers, Mérieux/Lyon and Behring/Marburg, did not produce any severe side effects in about 5000 vaccinees in West Germany when conditions of
vaccine production were properly observed. The lack of neuropathogenicity of
vaccines is stressed. Contamination by bacterial
lipopolysaccharides, however, resulted in
endotoxin shock in 32 out of 35 vaccinees with one
vaccine lot. Testing for pyrogenicity of every
vaccine lot should be carefully observed in future. When comparing antigenicity of different
vaccine lots of both manufacturers, individual titers of
complement-fixing and
neutralizing antibodies were correlated with the antigenic values of the
vaccines. Duration of immunity after one course of vaccination is approximately 2 years and can be extended by only 1 booster injection for an additional 3 years. Protective capacity of HDCS
vaccine (using Essen scheme, 6 applications) seems to be very pronounced. So far, between 1973-1977, 68 individuals under severe risk were vaccinated post-exposure in West Germany and 45 individuals in Iran from 1975-76. No cases of
rabies occurred in the vaccinees. HDCS
vaccine in man induces a very early antibody response with appearance of
IgM rabies specific
antibodies on day 3, and
IgG rabies specific
antibodies on day 7 and an early
IgM/
IgG antibody conversion at that time.