Abstract
A fatal human case of Duvenhage virus (DUVV) infection in a Dutch traveller who had returned from Kenya was reported in 2007. She exhibited classical symptoms of rabies encephalitis with distinct pathological findings. In the present study we describe the isolation and characterization of DUVV in vitro and its passage in BALB/c mice. The virus proved to be neuroinvasive in both juvenile and adult mice, resulting in about 50% lethality upon peripheral infection. Clinical signs in infected mice were those of classical rabies. However, the distribution of viral antigen expression in the brain differed from that of classical rabies virus infection and neither inclusion bodies nor neuronal necrosis were observed. This is the first study to describe the in vitro and in vivo isolation and characterization of DUVV.
Highlights
Infection with Duvenhage virus (DUVV) causes lethal encephalitis in humans and animals
We describe passage of the virus in BALB/c mice, describing an animal model to further study the pathogenesis of DUVV infection
Isolation and genome sequence of DUVV-NL07 Samples taken for diagnostic purposes from different parts of the human brain [2] were inoculated onto N2a cells and the cultures were followed for 28 days
Summary
Infection with Duvenhage virus (DUVV) causes lethal encephalitis in humans and animals. DUVV infection is prevalent among bats in Africa, reports of human infections are rare and limited to three fatal cases to date, two from South Africa and one from Kenya [1,2,3]. Extensive cell death and neuronal damage has been described in human cases of EBLV infection [6]. These differences in lesions suggest differences in the pathogenesis of the infection by the different members of the lyssavirus genus. We describe passage of the virus in BALB/c mice, describing an animal model to further study the pathogenesis of DUVV infection. Since different rabies virus isolates vary considerably in their pathogenic potential and our knowledge of DUVV pathogenesis is limited, we chose to compare DUVV-NL07 with two very different rabies virus isolates in order to be able to place DUVV in the spectrum of rabies pathogenesis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
