The present invention relates to recombinant raccoon poxvirus vectors that express the rabies virus glycoprotein gene at the hemagglutinin (ha) locus of the poxvirus genome or express the glycoprotein gene of the same or different rabies strains at the thymidine kinase (tk) and the hemagglutinin (ha) loci of the poxvirus genome, and their use as adjuvant-free vaccines. The raccoon poxvirus vector comprises the nucleic acid molecules encoding the glycoprotein of a Challenge Virus Standard rabies strain inserted and expressed at the tk locus of the poxvirus genome and of a Pasteur-Paris rabies strain inserted and expressed at the ha locus of the poxvirus genome. The vaccine may optionally contain a mixture of additional feline and canine antigens for immunization of animals. Also disclosed are methods for inducing an immune response to rabies in a mammal by administering to the mammal an effective immunizing amount of the vaccine of the invention.
