Serologic Response of 2 Versus 3 Doses and Intradermal Versus Intramuscular Administration of a Licensed Rabies Vaccine for Preexposure Prophylaxis.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends intradermal (ID) administration of rabies vaccine for preexposure prophylaxis.
Methods: In a randomized trial in adults assigned to 1 of 6 treatment groups (ID vs intramuscular [IM], 2 vs 3 doses, and controls), rabies neutralizing antibody titers were measured to 1 year postvaccination.
Results: ID vaccination produced acceptable antibody levels in all subjects (2- and 3-dose groups). At day 365, acceptable levels were 40% for IM and 50% for ID 2-dose schedule, and 70% for IM and 60% for ID 3-dose schedule.
Conclusions: ID rabies vaccination induces acceptable antibody titers at a fraction of the dose.
Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02374814.
(© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)