title: New rabies virus variant found during an epizootic in white-nosed coatis from the Yucatan Peninsula.
abstract: In February 2008, three white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica) were found dead in a recreational park in Cancun, Mexico. The diagnosis of rabies virus (RABV) infection was confirmed by direct immunofluorescence test. The phylogenetic analysis performed with the complete RABV nucleoprotein gene positioned this isolate close to a sequence of a human rabies case reported during 2008 from Oaxaca, Mexico, sharing 93% similarity. In turn, these two variants are related to another variant found in rabid Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana bats across North America. Anti-RABV neutralizing activity (1.3 IU/ml) was found in the serum of one white-nosed coati captured with another five that cohabited with the dead animals. Enhanced rabies surveillance and pathogenesis studies should be conducted in coatis and insectivorous bats of the region to clarify the role of these species as potential emergent or long-term unidentified RABV reservoirs.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Coordinación de Investigación Médica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aréchiga-Ceballos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velasco-Villa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flores-Chávez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barrón
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cuevas-Domínguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Origel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Setién
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D045988:Procyonidae; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics
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