title: Lyssavirus-reactive antibodies in Swedish bats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To study the presence of European bat lyssavirus (EBLV) infections in bat reservoirs in Sweden, active surveillance was performed during the summers from 2008 to 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bat specimens were collected at >20 bat colonies in the central, southeastern, and southern parts of Sweden. In total, blood and saliva of 452 bats were examined by a virus neutralization test and by reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCRs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBLV neutralizing antibodies were detected in 14 Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii), all trapped in Skåne or Småland (south and southeast of Sweden). The result was not unexpected since EBLV has been shown to be present in many neighboring countries, for example, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway. However, Sweden has been regarded free of rabies in terrestrial mammals since 1896. Although very rare, spillover of EBLV into other animals and humans have occurred, and the risk of EBLV infection to other species including humans should not be ignored. This is the first report of lyssavirus infection in Swedish bats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna-Lena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hammarin
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Louise Treiberg
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Berndtsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.affiliation: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nedinge
authors.affiliation: Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Zoonosis Science Center and Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, and Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden; ake.lundkvist@imbim.uu.se.
authors.forename: Åke
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
keywords: Daubenton's bat; EBLV; Lyssavirus; Myotis daubentonii; Northern bat; bat; rabies