title: [Study on the status of infection and distribution of rabies virus in China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the status of infection and distribution of rabies virus (RV) in different epidemic areas in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain specimens from animals and suspected patients were collected at the districts of high-, medium- and low incidence rates of human rabies and detected by both direct Immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  254 of 3007 specimens of dog brains showed RV positive by DFA (positive rate of 8.4%). Among these 254 samples, 78 showed positive (positive rate of 30.7%) by RT-PCR. 93 specimens from dogs and cats that had attacked human beings, 63 of them showed positive by DFA (positive rate of 67.7%) and all of them were also positive by RT-PCR. In addition, RV could also be detected in Apodemus agrarius, ferret badger, and suspected patients specimens from the districts under survey. There was no statistical difference between the infection rates of RV in different provinces and regions with different incidence of rabies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There might be a relatively high infection rate of RV among the domestic dogs/cats in the endemic areas in China. Wild animals might have been infected with RV in the districts under survey.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Genetic Engineering, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
authors.forename: Jin-ning
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xiao-yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
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: Jing-qing
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Rui-hua
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Feng-cai
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xian-jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin-xin
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Shu-mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D002415:Cats / Q000821:virology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004285:Dogs / Q000821:virology; D015994:Incidence; D051189:Murinae / Q000821:virology; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*