title: Molecular epidemiology of rabies virus isolates from Israel and other middle- and Near-Eastern countries.
abstract: A total of 226 isolates of rabies virus from different areas of Israel, including three human isolates and one sample from South Lebanon were identified between 1993 and 1998 by direct immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibodies to the viral nucleoprotein (N). An epidemiological survey based on nucleotide sequence analysis of 328 bp from the C terminus of the N coding region and the noncoding region between the nucleoprotein and the phosphoprotein (NS gene) was performed. Phylogenetic analysis of the isolates from Israel showed that they were related geographically, but not according to host species. Five variants, related groups distributed among four geographical regions, were identified. In each region, rabies virus was isolated from more than one animal species. A comparison of the sequence analysis of rabies virus samples from the rest of world revealed a 2-nucleotide change that distinguished the Middle East variants from the rest.
authors.affiliation: Rabies Laboratory, Pathology Division, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. ddavi_vs@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yakobson
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Stram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral