Tal Raz
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Title: Non-surgical contraception in feral cats: Short term efficacy and safety of combined vaccination with anti-GnRH (GonaCon) and rabies vaccines
Biography
Biography: Tal Raz
Abstract
Background: Overpopulation of stray cats is a major problem due to negative impacts on animal welfare, public nuisance and health, as well as possible harm to wildlife. Surgical sterilization is commonly used to prevent breeding; however, it has practical disadvantages and usually does not adequately implemented in a sufficient large-scale in field conditions. Therefore, attempts are made to develop non-surgical contraception/sterilization methods. Rabies is a deadly virus which may infect people and animals. Our objective was to examine the short-term safety and efficacy of anti-GnRH vaccine (GonaCon), combined with rabies vaccine.
Methodology & Study Design: Mature feral female cats were divided into the following groups: (I) GonaCon-rabies: vaccinated with GonaCon and rabies (n=5); (II) GonaCon2-rabies: vaccinated twice with GonaCon (3w apart) and with rabies (n=4); (III) OVx-rabies: vaccinated against rabies and underwent ovariohysterectomy (n=4); (IV) Intact-rabies: vaccinated against rabies and remained intact (n=3). Cats were monitored and sampled every two weeks for 14 weeks. Data analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA or Fisher exact test.
Results: There were neither systemic nor local adverse reactions at vaccination sites. Blood tests analyses revealed no differences among groups. There were no differences in the level of serum rabies antibodies among groups, and cats kept a protective antibodies titer (>0.5 IU/ml) starting at 2-4 weeks after vaccination. Anti-GnRH antibodies were detected in all GonaCon vaccinated cats, except for one cat in the GonaCon2-rabies group, which did not develop any anti-GnRH antibodies titer. Vaginal cytology and hormonal analyses support the effectiveness of GonaCon. The results of this study support the conclusion that in the short term, the combined vaccination with GonaCon and rabies is safe and effective. It also showed that there was no influence of the GonaCon vaccine on the rabies vaccine response and vice versa; however, further long-term studies are warranted before this regimen can be widely recommended.