Importation of canid rabies in a horse relocated from Zimbabwe to South Africa : research communication

C.T Sabeta,J.L Randles

doi:10.4102/ojvr.v72i1.226

Abstract

In July 2003 a 2-year-old Thoroughbred colt was imported from Harare, Zimbabwe to the Ashburton Training Centre, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Five months after importation, the colt presented with clinical signs suggestive of rabies: it was uncoordinated, showed muscle tremors and was biting at itself. Brain tissue was submitted for analysis and the clinical diagnosis was confirmed by the fluorescent antibody test and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the cytoplasmic domain of the glycoprotein and the G-L intergenic region of the rabies virus confirmed it to be an infection with a canid rabies virus, originating from an area in Zimbabwe endemic for the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and side-striped jackal (Canis adustus) rabies.

Highlights

Rabies virus (RV) is the prototype member of the Lyssavirus genus, Rhabdoviridae family, of the order Mononegavirales (Wunner, Larson, Dietzschold & Smith 1988; Tordo & Kouknetzoff 1993)
Prior to the era of antigenic and genetic tools for studying the epidemiology of rabies, the existence of the two rabies biotypes was postulated from historical records and case surveillance data
We demonstrate the use of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for confirming a clinical diagnosis of rabies infection in a 2-year-old Thoroughbred colt imported in July 2003, from Golden Acres, Harare in Zimbabwe to the Ashburton Training Centre, South Africa

Summary

Introduction

Rabies virus (RV) is the prototype member of the Lyssavirus genus, Rhabdoviridae family, of the order Mononegavirales (Wunner, Larson, Dietzschold & Smith 1988; Tordo & Kouknetzoff 1993). In the southern African countries of Zimbabwe and South Africa, rabies virus exists as two epidemiologically separate lineages (referred to as canid and mongoose rabies biotypes), which has been confirmed by antigenic and genetic studies (Foggin 1988; King, Meredith & Thomson 1993, 1994; Von Teichman, Thomson, Meredith & Nel 1995; Nel, Jacobs, Jaftha & Meredith 1997).

Results

Conclusion