title: Identification of novel canine rabies virus clades in the Middle East and North Africa.
abstract: Four novel phylogenetic clades of canine rabies virus (RABV) variants have been identified in the Middle East and North Africa. The three novel Middle Eastern clades comprise RABV isolates from the borders between Israel and neighbouring countries. The North African clade (Africa 4) comprises four RABV isolates from Egypt and one from Israel. We characterized various RABV lineages antigenically by using a panel of monoclonal antibodies to the nucleoprotein (N) and phylogenetically by analysis of entire N gene sequences. The estimated mean substitution rate for the N gene alignment (2.7x10(-4) substitutions per site per year) is comparable with previous estimates for RABV. The application of a molecular clock indicates the emergence of current canine RABV diversity to have occurred at about the same time (approx. 1870) in the Middle East and Europe, following divergence from established lineages in Africa and Asia.
authors.affiliation: Rabies Laboratory, Pathology Division, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Gareth J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Rabies Laboratory, Pathology Division, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Boris A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Yakobson
authors.affiliation: Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Etlik Central Veterinary Control and Research Institute, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hikmat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Un
authors.affiliation: Etlik Central Veterinary Control and Research Institute, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aylan
authors.affiliation: Rabies Unit, Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Kuzmin
authors.affiliation: Rabies Unit, Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rupprecht
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D008877:Middle East; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011818:Rabies / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; C099601:nucleocapsid protein, Rabies virus