title: Rabies diagnosis and serology in bats from the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bats are one of the most important reservoirs and vectors of the rabies virus in the world.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1988 to 2003, the Zoonosis Control Center in São Paulo City performed rabies diagnosis on 5,670 bats by direct immunofluorescent test and mouse inoculation test. Blood samples were collected from 1,618 bats and the sera were analyzed using the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test to confirm rabies antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four (0.8%) bats were positive for rabies. The prevalence of rabies antibodies was 5.9% using 0.5IU/ml as a cutoff. Insectivorous bats (69.8%) and bats of the species Molossus molossus (51.8%) constituted the majority of the sample; however, the highest prevalence of antibodies were observed in Glossophaga soricina (14/133), Histiotus velatus (16/60), Desmodus rotundus (8/66), Artibeus lituratus (5/54), Nyctinomops macrotis (3/23), Tadarida brasiliensis (3/48), Carollia perspicillata (3/9), Eumops auripendulus (2/30), Nyctinomops laticaudatus (2/16), Sturnira lilium (2/17) and Eumops perotis (1/13). The prevalence of rabies antibodies was analyzed by species, food preference and sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expressive levels of antibodies associated with the low virus positivity verified in these bats indicate that rabies virus circulates actively among them.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Coordenação de Vigilância em Saúde, Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. marilene@prefeitura.sp.gov.br
authors.forename: Marilene Fernandes de
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Luzia Fátima Alves
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Martorelli
authors.forename: Miriam Martos
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sodré
authors.forename: Ana Paula Arruda Geraldes
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Adriana Ruckert da
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Maria Lucia de
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amatuzzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D051379:Mice; D015995:Prevalence; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral