title: Retrospective diagnosis of two rabies cases in humans by high throughput sequencing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rabies is prevalent in 150 countries and is definitely found in Russian Federation. The average registered incidence of rabies infection among animals in Russia is 3000 cases per year. At least 500,000 cases of animal bites and scratches are registered in the Russia every year, but only 2-4 cases of rabies infection in humans are reported per year. This relatively low incidence of rabies infection among humans is the result of a well-organized program of rabies surveillance and control as well as the readily available vaccination and immunoglobulin therapies. However, physician awareness of rabies infection in patients with acute encephalopathy is low, and some cases of rabies remain undiagnosed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  A retrospective study of autopsy materials from patients who died of encephalitis of unknown etiology in the Astrakhan region of Russia in 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  A broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis followed by high throughput sequencing were used for the diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two cases of rabies were detected and subsequently confirmed using a fluorescent antibody test, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a mouse inoculation test. Two strains of rabies virus were isolated and characterized using virological methods. The entire genome of each strain was sequenced.
authors.affiliation: Federal Budget Institute of Science Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Russian Inspectorate for Protection of Consumer Right and Human Welfare, Moscow, Russia; RAS Institute of Occupational Health, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: vgdedkov@yandex.ru.
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Dedkov
authors.affiliation: Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Moscow, Russia; Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Lukashev
authors.affiliation: Federal Budget Institute of Science Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Russian Inspectorate for Protection of Consumer Right and Human Welfare, Moscow, Russia; RAS Institute of Occupational Health, Moscow, Russia; Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Deviatkin
authors.affiliation: Federal Budget Institute of Science Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Russian Inspectorate for Protection of Consumer Right and Human Welfare, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Kuleshov
authors.affiliation: Federal Budget Institute of Science Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Russian Inspectorate for Protection of Consumer Right and Human Welfare, Moscow, Russia; Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Safonova
authors.affiliation: Omsk Research Institute of Natural Foci Infections, Omsk, Russia.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Poleshchuk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research, partner site Bonn-Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Drexler
authors.affiliation: Federal Budget Institute of Science Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Russian Inspectorate for Protection of Consumer Right and Human Welfare, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Shipulin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012426:Russia
keywords: Broad-range PCR; High throughput sequencing; Rabies virus; Russia