Descriptive analysis of rabies in wild animals in the state of Sergipe, Brazil

K.D Antunes,T.L.M Arcebispo,M.A Oliveira,V.G Santos,M.X Silva,C.H.L Reis,P.L.L Pereira,S.A Diniz,J.C.C Matos,C.C Fontes,L.P Mol,T.M Oliveira

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-9574

Abstract

ABSTRACT The wild cycle of rabies constitutes a serious challenge to epidemiological surveillance for disease control in domestic, companion or production animals, and in humans. The understanding of rabies virus circulation in the natural environment is increasingly important due to the constancy of natural reservoirs of the disease and the presence of potential vectors of the infection to humans and domestic animals. Aiming to evaluate the occurrence of rabies in the State of Sergipe a total of 935 hematophagous bats (Desmodus rotundus), 46 wild dogs (Cerdocyon thous) and 24 primates (Callithrix spp.) were analyzed from 1987 to 2014, of which 1 bat, 17 crab-eating foxes and no primates were positive. Due to the lack of positive results in hematophagous bats, the main vector of herbivorous rabies, more studies are needed to monitor cases, because from an epidemiological point of view, Sergipe is endemic for herbivorous rabies. Epidemiological surveillance of rabies virus in wild animals is primordial for the success of disease control programs in herds of domestic animals and humans.

Highlights

Rabies is an enzootic disease in developing countries (Expert..., 2004)
Wild canids corresponded to 88% of rabies cases reported in the Northeast from 2002 to 2009, proving the strong relationship of wild canids and the wild cycle of rabies in this region (Wada et al, 2011)
Diagnoses were made based on reports of suspected rabies cases examined at the Central Laboratory - LACEN, from the Parreiras Horta Health Foundation of the State of Sergipe, through the use of direct immunofluorescence techniques (DIT) and intracerebral inoculation in mice (ICIM)

Summary

Introduction

The most important reservoirs, responsible for the transmission of human rabies in Latin America are the dog and some wild animals such as foxes and bats. In. Brazil, while the number of cases in dogs is declining, the wild cycle continues to be important (Silva et al, 2009) in the distribution of rabies in the country. The wild cycle of rabies in Brazil has been maintained active mainly by several species of chiroptera, wild canids and small primates (Aguiar et al, 2011). Among the species of wild canids of the Brazilian fauna, the crabeating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and the field fox (Lycalopex vetulus) were identified as the main reservoirs and transmitters of rabies in the country (Carnieli et al, 2006; Araújo et al, 2014)

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