Ring Vaccination - Rabies and Vampire Bats

Scientists at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center have been working on vaccines to protect bats from diseases like such as rabies and white-nose syndrome. The most promising method is called orotopical vaccination. By applying the vaccine to the bat’s muzzle, the gel-based vaccine is spread to others in the colony through grooming. This turns a small application into a colony-wide vaccination effort. 

When rabies is detected in a vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) colony (small pink circle), ring vaccination can be used to create a barrier of immunity to stop rabies spread beyond that area. The orotopical rabies vaccine would be applied to vampire bats in nearby colonies (blue circle).  This helps create a barrier of immunity to help protect other nearby bat colonies.