A live Aujeszky's disease virus was found in samples of the 20th batch of the veterinary vaccine "Multican-8". Rosselkhoznadzor announced this on September 16, following a laboratory inspection.
The study was conducted by FGBU "VGNKI". Specialists examined samples of the 20th batch of the drug, taken in the Yaroslavl region, from where reports of mass deaths of dogs after vaccination had previously begun to arrive.
According to Rosselkhoznadzor, a live Aujeszky's disease virus was detected in the examined samples. The agency stated that this confirmed a causal link between the deaths among dogs and the use of the 20th batch vaccine, contaminated with a foreign virus.
What happened to the 20th batch of "Multican-8"
Problems with the drug began to be investigated after numerous reports from dog owners about severe reactions and deaths of animals. Complaints came from the Yaroslavl, Leningrad, Tula, Penza, Saratov, Belgorod, and Moscow regions, as well as from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Krasnodar Krai.
In August, the manufacturer "Vetbiohim" recalled about 60 thousand doses of the 20th batch. At that time, no official reason for what was happening had been established: versions of production technology violations, storage and transportation problems, and the ingress of foreign substances were considered.
On August 31, Rosselkhoznadzor reported preliminary signs of a possible violation of production technology. The inspection materials were transferred to the prosecutor's office. At that time, the agency had not yet made final conclusions about the cause of the dogs' deaths.
Now, laboratory studies have yielded a concrete result – a live Aujeszky's disease virus has been found in the drug samples.
Why Aujeszky's virus in the vaccine was critical
Aujeszky's disease, also known as pseudorabies, is a viral disease of animals. For dogs, infection is particularly dangerous: the disease affects the central nervous system and in most cases results in the death of the animal. There is no effective treatment for the disease in dogs.
At the same time, the "Multican-8" vaccine itself is intended for the prevention of several infections in dogs. The drug consists of dry and liquid components; the dry part uses live attenuated strains of a number of viruses, and the liquid component contains inactivated vaccine components.
The detection of a foreign live virus in the finished product was the key result of the inspection.
What will happen to the vaccine
Rosselkhoznadzor decided to completely withdraw the 20th batch of "Multican-8" from circulation with subsequent destruction. In addition, the agency blocked the marking codes of this batch in the "Chestny Znak" system so that the drug could not be legally sold.
The manufacturer "Vetbiohim" is instructed to organize the withdrawal and destruction of the drug, as well as to provide Rosselkhoznadzor with supporting documents.
The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing. The prosecutor's office is also involved.
Important: this refers specifically to the 20th batch of "Multican-8". The results obtained by Rosselkhoznadzor do not automatically mean that similar violations are present in other batches of the drug.