Bat rabies in urban centers in Chile. de Mattos CA, Favi M, Yung V

Bat rabies in urban centers in Chile.
de Mattos CA, Favi M, Yung V, Pavletic C, de Mattos CC.
Rabies Section MSG33, Viral and Rickettsial Zoonosis Branch, Division of Viral and
Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health
and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. cdd9@cdc.gov
One hundred and five rabies isolates obtained from domestic animals and insectivorous
bats in Chile between 1977 and 1998 were molecularly characterized by limited sequence
analysis of their nucleoprotein genes. These isolates were compared with viruses isolated
from known domestic and wildlife rabies reservoirs in the Americas to identify potential
reservoirs of rabies in Chile. The phylogenetic analyses showed that none of the Chilean
isolates segregated with viruses from the terrestrial reservoirs. No non-rabies lyssaviruses
were found in this study. The Chilean samples were not related to viruses of the sylvatic
cycle maintained by the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) in Latin America. Five
genetic variants were identified from insectivorous bats in Chile. The Brazilian free-tailed
bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) was identified as the reservoir for the rabies genetic variant most
frequently isolated in the country between 1977 and 1998. The close association of a group
of viruses obtained from a domestic dog (Canis familiaris), Brazilian free-tailed bats, and a
red bat (Lasiurus borealis) with viruses maintained by Lasiurus spp. in North America
implicated species of this genus as the possible reservoirs of this particular genetic variant
in Chile. Reservoirs for the other three variants remain unknown.
Ciento cinco aislados rábicos obtenidos de animales domésticos y murciélagos
insectívoros en Chile entre 1977 y 1998 fueron molecularmente caracterizados por análisis
de secuencia del gen de la nucleoproteína. Estos aislados fueron comparados con virus
aislados de reservorios conocidos de animales domésticos y silvestres en las Américas
para identificar potenciales reservorios de rabia en Chile El análisis genético demostró que
ninguno de los aislados chilenos segregaban con virus de reservorios terrestres En este
estudio no se encontró Lyssavirus no relacionados. Las muestras chilenas no fueron
relacionados con ciclos selváticos mantenidos por murciélago vampiro (Desmodus
rotundus) en America Latina. Cinco variantes genéticas fueron identificadas con
murciélagos insectívoros en Chile. El murciélago Tadarida brasiliensis fue identificado
como el reservorio para la variante genética principalmente aislada en el país entre 1997 y
1998. La cercana asociación de un grupo de virus obtenidos de un perro domestico (Canis
familiaris), murcielagos Brazilian cola libre y un murciélago rojo (Lasiurus borealis) con
virus mantenidos por especies de Lasiurus spp. en Norte America como posibles
reservorios de esta particular variante en Chile. Reservorios de las otras tres variantes
permanecen desconocidas.