A comparative study of rabies virus isolates from hematophagous bats in Brazil.
The Brazilian chiropteran fauna consists of 167 species; of which, three are hematophagous: the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi), and the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata). The aim of this study was to describe the isolation of Rabies virus from common and hairy-legged vampire bats and to report the first comparative antigenic and genetic studies of isolates from these bats. Antigenic and genetic typing of both isolates identified them as antigenic variant 3 (AgV3), the variant frequently isolated from common vampire bats. Phylogenetic analysis showed 99.3% identity between the isolates. This is the first time since 1934 that Rabies virus has been isolated from hairy-legged vampire bats in Brazil. Our analysis provides evidence that the existence of rabies-positive isolates from hairy-legged vampire bats may be the result of an interspecific rabies transmission event from common vampire bats and suggests that roost cohabitation may occur.
Castilho
Juliana G
JG
Pasteur Institute of São Paulo, Av. Paulista, 393, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. juliana.castilho@uol.com.br
Carnieli
Pedro
P
Oliveira
Rafael N
RN
Fahl
Willian O
WO
Cavalcante
Rosangela
R
Santana
Antonio A
AA
Rosa
Wellington L G A
WL
Carrieri
Maria L
ML
Kotait
Ivanete
I
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D011634:Public Health; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013045:Species Specificity; D015047:Zoonoses