WHOOPING CRANE TITERS TO EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VACCINATIONS

Authors

Glenn H. Olsen, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Erin Kolski, Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Jeff S. Hatfield, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterFollow
Douglas E. Docherty, USGS National Wildlife Health Center

Date of this Version

2005

Document Type

Article

Citation

Olsen, G.H., E. Kolski, J.S. Hatfield, and D.E. Docherty. Whooping crane titers to Eastern Equine Encephalitis vaccinations. In Chavez-Ramirez, F, ed. 2005. Proceedings of the Ninth North American Crane Workshop, Jan 17-20, 2003. Sacramento, California: North American Crane Working Group. Pp. 21-24.

Comments

Reproduced by permission of the NACWG.

Abstract

In 1984 an epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus killed 7 of 39 (18%) whooping cranes in captivity at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, USA. Since that time whooping cranes have been vaccinated with a human EEE vaccine. This vaccine was unavailable for several years, necessitating use of an equine vaccine in the cranes. This study compared the antibody titers measured for three years using the human vaccine with those measured for two years using the equine form. Whooping cranes developed similarly elevated titers in one year using the human vaccine and both years using the equine vaccine. However, in two years where the human vaccine was used, the whooping cranes developed significantly lower titers compared to other years.