Abstract
We performed whole genome sequencing and genetic characterization of rabies viruses (RABV) detected in bats submitted to the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) during 2018–2019. Among 88 bats submitted to CVMDL, six brain samples (6.8%, 95% confidence interval: 1.6% to 12.1%) tested positive by direct fluorescent antibody test. RABVs were detected in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus, n = 4), a hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus, n = 1), and an unidentified bat species (n = 1). Complete coding sequences of four out of six detected RABVs were obtained. In phylogenetic analysis, the RABVs (18-62, 18-4347, and 19-2274) from big brown bats belong to the bats EF-E1 clade, clustering with RABVs detected from the same bat species in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The bat RABV (19-2898) detected from the migratory hoary bat belongs to the bats LC clade, clustering with the eleven viruses detected from the same species in Arizona, Washington, Idaho, and Tennessee. The approach used in this study generated novel data regarding genetic relationships of RABV variants, including their reservoirs, and their spatial origin and it would be useful as reference data for future investigations on RABV in North America. Continued surveillance and genome sequencing of bat RABV would be needed to monitor virus evolution and transmission, and to assess the emergence of genetic mutations that may be relevant for public health.
Highlights
We report the first complete coding sequences of the bat rabies virus (RABV) in the New England region and their phylogenetic relationship with other bat RABVs recovered from across the United States
A total of 88 bats were submitted to Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) for rabies testing with 86 bats originating from the state of Connecticut, one bat from the state of New York, and one bat from the state of Massachusetts
RABV was detected in six brain samples (6.8% of the total) by the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test (Figure 1 and Table 1)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rabies is the oldest known zoonotic disease caused by any of the 17 recognized viruses of the genus Lyssavirus; family Rhabdoviridae [1] It is considered a re-emerging disease in different countries worldwide and responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths annually [2]. Bats are frequently reported rabid animals, there is limited complete genome sequence data and whole genome sequence (WGS) phylogenetic analysis of RABVs from bats. As of 26 July 2021, only 35 complete genome sequences of bat RABVs in United States between 1975 and 2010 have been reported in NCBI GenBank database.
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