title: Molecular epidemiology of rabies in Southern People's Republic of China.
abstract: In recent years, the number of human rabies cases in the People's Republic of China has increased during severe epidemics in 3 southern provinces (Guizhou, Guangxi, and Hunan). To analyze the causes of the high incidence of human rabies in this region, during 2005-2007, we collected 2,887 brain specimens from apparently healthy domestic dogs used for meat consumption in restaurants, 4 specimens from suspected rabid dogs, and 3 from humans with rabies in the 3 provinces. Partial nucleoprotein gene sequences were obtained from rabies-positive specimens. Phylogenetic relationships and distribution of viruses were determined. We infer that the spread of rabies viruses from high-incidence regions, particularly by long-distance movement or transprovincial translocation of dogs caused by human-related activities, may be 1 cause of the recent massive human rabies epidemics in southern China.
authors.affiliation: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhao Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ding Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velasco-Villa
authors.forename: Xianfu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rupprecht
authors.forename: Guo-Dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D004285:Dogs; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000821:virology; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; C099601:nucleocapsid protein, Rabies virus