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This pioneering study is prompted by the imperative to enhance our understanding of a constituent within Ukraine's rabies control strategy, specifically focusing on the vaccination of free-roaming canines against rabies with a local vaccine in certain endemic rabies areas. The cross-sectional study encompassed the capture, sterilization, deworming, and rabies vaccination processes in 160 free-roaming dogs, followed by the collection of blood samples to examine RABV-specific neutralising antibodies in 16 dogs (10% of the vaccinated population), captured from sectors (territories) with a higher density of population and with higher density of previously vaccinated free-roaming dogs. Half of the targeted samples comprised males (n = 8), while the remaining half consisted of females (n = 8). The median of virus-neutralising antibody level was 0.58 IU/mL, with a minimum protective threshold of 0.5 IU/mL. Antibody titers below the 0.5 IU/mL threshold were detected in 25.0% (2/8) of the male group, and in 62.5% (5/8) of the female group. Notably, male dogs exhibited a higher median antibody level of 0.66 IU/mL, compared to females, who presented a median level of 0.26 IU/mL. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the male and female groups (P = 0.36). In general, more than half of the tested population (56.3%) exceeded the 0.5 IU/mL protective threshold 4 months post-vaccination. The inadequate levels of antibodies neutralizing the rabies virus are likely a result of a confluence of factors, including stressors such as nutritional and temperature-related challenges, along with variations in the responses of individual immune systems. Considering the endemic rabies situation and large population of free-roaming dogs in Ukraine, we suggest repeated vaccination for free-roaming dogs against rabies one year after the previous vaccination. In perspective, we suggest conducting large-scale epidemiological studies to assess the impact of animal-related, vaccine-related, and environment-related parameters on the efficacy of rabies vaccines used in Ukraine.

Lyme-borreliosis is a zoonotic, infectious disease that has a complex chain of transmission of the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and includes the relationship between ixodid ticks, vertebrate hosts, humans and companion animals in the environment. The article shows general trends in the prevalence of canine Lyme-borreliosis in Ukraine depending on environmental, climatic and physiographic factors. The results of a comparative cartographic analysis of the prevalence of Lyme borreliosis among domestic dogs in Ukraine are presented by systematizing, mathematical and statistical processing of the data obtained by surveying veterinarians engaged in clinical veterinary practice. The paper includes generalized data on the clinical manifestations, methods of diagnosis and treatment of Lyme borreliosis in dogs. We determined the dependence of the prevalence of Lyme borreliosis in dogs on the types of physical and geographical territories – natural zones of Ukraine. Each of the natural zones differs in types of relief, climatic conditions, soil types, composition of fauna and flora, which affect the epizootic chain of Lyme disease. There is a clear correlation between the incidence of Lyme borreliosis in dogs and the types of natural areas. The highest incidence of Lyme borreliosis in dogs was observed in the forest-steppe zone and the zone of broad-leaved forests. A sharp decrease in the incidence of dogs was recorded in areas of mixed forests, the Ukrainian Carpathians and in the South of Ukraine in the steppe zone. The study also confirmed that the prevalence of Lyme disease among domestic dogs was influenced by the climatic factors, in particular: gross moisture of territories, average annual air temperature and soil temperature. In Ukraine, veterinarians in the vast majority of cases use serological diagnostic methods: immunochromatographic analysis, immunoenzymatic assay, and western blot, which are insufficient, since the presence of antibodies to the Lyme borreliosis pathogen is only a confirmation of the animal's contact with the antigen and may not indicate the presence of the disease in the clinical form. The generalized data on the use of antimicrobial drugs in the treatment of Lyme borreliosis in dogs indicate the predominant use of tetracycline antibiotics and cephalosporins. The majority of veterinarians reported symptoms of Lyme arthritis, somewhat fewer reported Lyme nephritis, neuroborreliosis, Lyme carditis and in rare cases, veterinarians observed erythema at the site of tick bite. About half of the veterinarians in Ukraine observed an increase in the incidence of Lyme disease in dogs, indicating a probable deterioration of the epizootic and epidemiological situation regarding Lyme borreliosis, especially in areas with favourable conditions for the circulation of Lyme borreliosis pathogens in natural and urban ecotopes. The results substantiate the need for the further study of the circulation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and their ability to cause disease in humans and animals, as well as the need to implement the principles of the One Health concept for the control and management of Lyme borreliosis.

Impaired metabolism of mineral substances in the conditions of industrial rabbit breeding may cause decrease in increment of live mass, reduction of immunity, mass morbidity and death of animals. In our experiment, we studied the efficiency of using a mineral mixture to prevent the disorders in the metabolism of rabbits according to changes in morphologic, biochemical parameters and antioxidant status of blood, chemical composition of blood plasma and increments in body weight compared to the control group of animals. For the studies, we formed four groups of white New Zealand rabbits, each comprising six individuals aged 70 days with mean body weight equaling 1.99 kg. In group I, the rabbits received an aqueous form of a mixture of glauconite, succinic acid, humic and fulvic acids and lactates of zinc, manganese, cuprum, cobalt and iron with water, rabbits of group II were given a dry form of a mixture of glauconite, succinic acid, humic and fulvic acids and lactates of zinc, manganese, cuprum, cobalt and iron with fodder, and the rabbits of group III were intramuscularly injected with butanol fraction of humic acids. The experiment lasted for 21 days. The results of the experiment indicate that the most effective prophylaxis of malfunctions of mineral metabolism in white New Zealand rabbits aged 70–95 was dry mixture of glauconite, succinic acid, humic and fulvic acids and lactates of zinc, manganese, cuprum, cobalt and iron with fodder (group II), which was given once a day for 21-day period. We determined a positive effect of biologically active supplement on the parameters of hematopoiesis(1.25 times significantly higher level of hemoglobin and 1.14 times higher number of erythrocytes), metabolism of proteins (1.54 times significantly higher content of albumins), mineral substances (significantly higher content of inorganic phosphorus – by 1.17 times, calcium by 2.18 times, manganese by 1.39 times, zinc by 1.50 times, iron by 1.39 times and cuprum by 1.49 times), functional condition of the liver (2.04 times lower activity of gamma-glutamyltransferase), the state of the antioxidant system (lowest catalase activity) and energy of rabbits’ growth (1.20-fold increment in body weight). The results of our study indicate that using a dry form of the mixture of glauconite, succinic acid, humic and fulvic acids and lactates of zinc, manganese, cuprum, cobalt and iron with fodder is an efficient method of preventing malfunctioning of mineral metabolism in rabbits.

Ukraine remains the only country in Europe where rabies is widespread among animals and humans. Annually there are about 1,600 rabies cases in animals in Ukraine and sporadic cases in humans have been registered despite the conducting of preventive measures. Therefore, the aim of the study was to inspect the failures in rabies prevention, indicate the top reasons for human cases and highlights the risk of animal attacks in view of their species and geographical distribution in Ukraine during 1996–2020. The following archival state materials were used for analysis: from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and from the annual reports of oblast departments of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection. In general, more than 84,000 people (187.4 per 100,000 of the population) were affected by bites or harmful contact with animals every year, among them, 2,155 people were victims of rabid animals. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) was prescribed annually, on average, for 21,434 patients (25.5% of all victims). Most people were attacked by cats and dogs that had owners (71.5%). The frequency of the proportion of the risk of attacks by rabid dogs on humans was (1:124), from cats (1:25), wild animals (1:7), and farm animals (1:2), but the largest general proportion of animal attacks on people was from dogs – 838,635 attacks (77.7%). Thus, due to the permanently higher level of contact with people, attacks by dogs remains more dangerous. Geographically attacks on humans by domestic carnivores were observed most commonly in the east part of Ukraine due to the high urbanization of the region and the high density of the human population. A large number of attacks by foxes was observed in the west part of Ukraine due to the larger area of forests and fields. During the last 25 years, there have been 63 human rabies cases. The main sources of rabies were dogs (24 cases) and cats (22 cases). The main causes of development of rabies were: failure to receive the PEP due to the absence of a visit to a hospital after an attack of an animal (n = 38), failures in prescribing PEP (n = 15), failure of PEP (n = 10). In conclusion, the gaps in the control measures against rabies are the lack of agreed coordination of inter-sectoral links, the lack of significant efforts to raise public awareness and the lack of funding for prophylaxis programmes for humans and animals. Our future research will be aimed at modelling the transmission of rabies from the pet population to humans.

Due to the concern for animal and human health, efforts to develop mathematical and computational models for predicting the spatial and temporal dynamics of infectious diseases, including rabies, are constantly increasing. Therefore, our goal was to model the dynamics of the spread of rabies by foxes, dogs, and cats on the territory of Vinnytsia Oblast in the period from 2012 to 2018. To study and analyse the dynamic spread of rabies in time and space, an information-analytical technology was developed, which is based on retrospective data from registered cases of rabies. The rabies transmission parameter was determined using official epizootological data from the regional oblast veterinary laboratory and the regional department of the State Service of Ukraine On Food Safety and Consumer Protection. It was found that rabies spread the most among dogs and cats at a distance of up to 50 km in the winter (26.45%), from 50 to 100 km – in the autumn (40.33%), over 100 km – in the summer (49.84%). In general, domestic carnivores were sources of rabies within a radius of 50 km in only 16.98% of cases, and within a radius of 100 km – in 55.95% of cases. Foxes were sources of rabies within a radius of 50 km in only 24.33% of cases and within a radius of 100 km in 58.54% of cases. At the same time, the highest spread of rabies among the foxes at a distance of up to 50 km was observed in the spring (31.01%), from 50 to 100 km – in the winter (43.67%), and over 100 km – in the summer (48.38%). The new data will be useful in planning and carrying out preventive antirabies measures. In the future, it is planned to conduct the modelling in terms of all regions and create forecasts for the spread of rabies on the territory of Ukraine

The priorities of study the epizootic process of any zoonoses should conduct the analysis using new approaches and technologies in developed countries of the world. Since geographic information systems (GIS) are a tool for collecting data from many sources by various methods that, unlike to standard mapping, can organize, store, retrieve, analyze, model, present spatial data and generate forecasts, our goal was to analyze the epizootic situation of rabies in Ukraine using geo-information technologies. To achieve this goal, we needed to collect rabies incidence data, determine the longitude and latitude of geographic coordinates for each case, create a database of all rabies cases and adapt it to run QGIS software. GIS was used for dynamic models in which the spatial distribution of rabies cases for different animal species varied over successive time frames. The use of GIS, unlike classical mapping, allowed the establishment of the epizootic movement directions, species geolocation, dynamic visualization, seasonality dependence, and the identification of the areas with the highest and lowest degree of infected depending not only on the region, but also within the species of each district. In this case, the determination of the epizootic, movement directions showed a move in the east direction for the domestic animals and in the west direction for the wild animals. Identification of the areas with the highest and lowest infected of rabies made it possible to establish that the highest the concentration of rabies cases among wild animals were observed in the Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia regions and the lowest was in the Poltava region. Among domestic animals, the highest incidence of rabies occurred in the north-eastern part of the Vinnytsia region, especially on the border with the Kyiv region, as well as in the northeastern part of the Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions, and the lowest in the territory of the Transcarpathian and southern parts of the Odesa region. Thus, the establishment of zones of greatest infected with rabies, understanding the periods of ups and downs of epizootics, the establishment of species the specificity of each region will provide qualitative and effective planning and carrying out control measures in the territory of all regions of Ukraine.

During many decades, rabies remained endemic on the territory of Ukraine. In certain historical periods, the epizootic process of rabies developed with the alternate inclusion of different species of animals as a source and a reservoir of the virus which are of great interest to many scientists. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to conduct an analysis of rabies epidemiology on the territory of Ukraine from 1950 to 2019 based on collected reliable archival data. Collected archival data have shown that over the past 70 years sources of rabies infection varied from domestic to wild carnivorous and vice versa with three major epizootic peaks. The first and the highest peak in the entire study period was recorded in 1951 (3 724 cases) and was caused by the spread of the rabies virus solely through dogs. The second peak with lower number of cases was recorded in 1979 (1 594 cases) when the dominant role in the spread of rabies virus turned to foxes. Finally, the third peak in 2007 (2 932 cases) was triggered by the combination of animals (foxes, dogs, and cats) as the source of the pathogen. Considering significant peaks and downturns and the varying degrees of involvement of domestic and wild animals in spreading of the pathogen, we have identified five historically important stages in the development of the epizootic process: the stage of «urban» or «dog» rabies (1950–1959), relative stability (1960–1969), «sylvatic» or «fox» rabies (1970–1990), relative safety (1991–1999), and expansion (2000–2019). At the stage of «urban» rabies dogs played a significant role as a source and a reservoir of the virus. In the epizootic aspect, dogs made up 54.3 % of all rabies cases, while cats and wild animals (wolves, raccoon dogs, foxes, raccoons, martens, and lynxes) – 1.58 % and only 0.05 % respectively. Domestic animals (cattle, pigs, horses, goats, etc.) made up the rest 44.07 %, but they were «victims» and did not contribute to the further spread of the virus. Moreover, in 89 % of cases dogs were a source of rabies for humans. The stage of «relative stability» was marked by decline of epizootics throughout Ukraine and decrease in the number of deaths to 140 per year. «Sylvatic» or «fox» rabies stage was characterized by the involvement in the epizootic process of a new species of animals – the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). During this stage the proportion of wild animals in the total number of cases was 33.9 %, cats – 17.7 %, and dogs – 12 %. In 46.5 % of cases foxes were the main source of rabies for humans, while cats and dogs in 34.2 % and 11.8 % of cases respectively. The stage of «relative safety» was marked by the repeated prolonged decline of epizootics and the increasing role of dogs and cats in the epizootic process. The last stage of the expansion took place against the background of the increasing population size and proportion of rabies cases among domestic carnivores (up to 44.6 %) and foxes (up to 36.5 %), which contributed to the widest distribution of the virus, and remains a significant problem nowadays. While in the period of «urban rabies» vaccination of dogs together with the regulation of their population allowed to reduce the number of rabies cases by 26 times in 15 years, nowadays regulation of fox and domestic carnivores populations in combination with oral vaccination of wild and parenteral vaccination of companion animals, unfortunately, do not give visible result. So, it is extremely important not only to increase the quality of preventive measures against rabies, but also to increase their quantity in order to cover all three major sources of rabies – dogs, cats, and foxes.

In recent decades, there has been a rapid increase in the incidence of rabies in cat population due to lack of proper vaccination among domestic and stray animals. In such conditions, the virus is approaching the humans due to the increase in the number of cases of attacks of these animals on humans. Therefore, our aim was to carry out a retrospective analysis of the prevalence of rabies virus in Ukraine, to study the trends of rabies virus spread among domestic carnivores in recent decades, to establish the reasons for an increase in the proportion of cats in epizootic and epidemic processes in Ukraine. Having conducted a retrospective analysis from 1950 to 2017, we found that in 1950–1954 rabies in cats in the epizootic situation constituted a small percentage – 1.58%. In 1975–1979 there was an increase in the number of cases of the disease up to 17%, which occurred as a result of the epizootic outbreaks of rabies among the foxes that were most in contact with cats, especially stray, having common spatial and trophic bonds. Subsequently, trend of the development of rabies acquired a slight fluctuation, but the general trends of species distribution did not change significantly. However, in recent decades, the epizootic situation regarding this zoonosis among cats has become under constantly tension. An analysis of changes in the species structure from the total number of cats, who died of rabies in 1950 compared to 2017 showed an increase in the proportion from 1.58% to 30.5%. It is the highest percentage of cat rabies in Europe. After conducting an epidemiological analysis, we found that over the past decades, cats became the source of hydrophobia for every third patient. Our further research will be aimed at creating a database on the incidence of rabies in all species of animals in order to improve the program of rabies control among domestic carnivores and conduct a GIS-analysis on the territory of Ukraine.