Detection of rabies virus nucleoprotein-RNA in several organs outside the Central Nervous System in naturally-infected vampire bats

Abstract

Rabies is a neurological disease, but the rabies virus spread to several organs outside the central nervous system (CNS). The rabies virus antigen or RNA has been identiϐied from the salivary glands, the lungs, the kidneys, the heart and the liver. This work aimed to identify the presence of the rabies virus in non-neuronal organs from naturally-infected vampire bats and to study the rabies virus in the salivary glands of healthy vampire bats. Out of the ϐive bats that were positive for rabies in the CNS, by ϐluorescent antibody test (FAT), viral isolation in N2A cells and reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 100% (5/5) were positive for rabies in samples of the tongue and the heart, 80% (4/5) in the kidneys, 40% (2/5) in samples of the salivary glands and the lungs, and 20% (1/5) in the liver by RT-PCR test. All the nine bats that were negative for rabies in the CNS, by FAT, viral isolation and RT-PCR were negative for rabies in the salivary glands by RT-PCR test. Possible consequences for rabies epidemiology and pathogenesis are discussed in this work.INDEX TERMS: Lyssavirus, Desmodus rotundus, non-neuronal organs, rabies. RESUMO.-[Detecção de núcleoproteína-RNA do vírus rábico em diversos órgãos fora do sistema nervoso central de morcegos hematófagos infectados naturalmente.]A raiva é uma doença neurológica, mas o vírus da raiva se dispersa para diversos órgãos fora do sistema nervoso central (SNC). Antígeno ou RNA do vírus da raiva já foram detectados em vários órgãos, tais como glândula salivar, pulmão, rim, coração e ϐígado. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identiϐicar a presença do vírus da raiva em órgãos não neuronais de morcegos hematófagos infectados naturalmente, e pesquisar a presença do ví-rus na glândula salivar de morcegos hematófagos sadios. Dos cinco morcegos positivos para a raiva no SNC pelas técnicas de imunoϐluorescência direta e isolamento viral em células N2A, 100% (5/5) foram positivos para a raiva nas amostras de língua e coração, 80% (4/5) no rim, 40% (2/5) nas amostras de glândula salivar e pulmão, e 20% (4/5) no ϐígado pe la técnica de RT-PCR. Todos os nove morcegos negativos no SNC, pela imunoϐluorescência e isolamento viral, foram negativos na glândula salivar pela RT-PCR. Possíveis consequências para a epidemiologia e patogênese da raiva são discutidas.

Experimental Lagos bat virus infection in straw-colored fruit bats: A suitable model for bat rabies in a natural reservoir species

“…Also, Ct values were generally lower for tongue (mean 35) than for salivary gland (mean 39), suggesting that there was a higher number of virus copies in tongue than in salivary gland tissue. Data from vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) infected with RABV indicate the possibility that the tongue is the major site of virus shedding [77]. Also, lyssavirus was detected in the tongues of experimentally [32] and naturallyinfected European bats [78].…”

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“…Also, Ct values were generally lower for tongue (mean 35) than for salivary gland (mean 39), suggesting that there was a higher number of virus copies in tongue than in salivary gland tissue. Data from vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) infected with RABV indicate the possibility that the tongue is the major site of virus shedding [77]. Also, lyssavirus was detected in the tongues of experimentally [32] and naturallyinfected European bats [78].…”