title: Isolation of Lagos bat virus from water mongoose.
abstract: A genotype 2 lyssavirus, Lagos bat virus (LBV), was isolated from a terrestrial wildlife species (water mongoose) in August 2004 in the Durban area of the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The virus isolate was confirmed as LBV by antigenic and genetic characterization, and the mongoose was identified as Atilax paludinosus by mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated sequence homology with previous LBV isolates from South African bats. Studies performed in mice indicated that the peripheral pathogenicity of LBV had been underestimated in previous studies. Surveillance strategies for LBV in Africa must be improved to better understand the epidemiology of this virus and to make informed decisions on future vaccine strategies because evidence is insufficent that current rabies vaccines provide protection against LBV.
authors.affiliation: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Markotter
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kuzmin
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rupprecht
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Randles
authors.forename: Claude T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sabeta
authors.forename: Alexander I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Wandeler
authors.forename: Louis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000662:veterinary; D008988:Herpestidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D018114:Lyssavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013019:South Africa; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D045303:Cytochromes b