Descriptive analysis of rabies in wild animals in the state of Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

The wild cycle of rabies constitutes a serious challenge to epidemiological surveillance for disease control in domestic, companion or production animals, and in humans. The understanding of rabies virus circulation in the natural environment is increasingly important due to the constancy of natural reservoirs of the disease and the presence of potential vectors of the infection to humans and domestic animals. Aiming to evaluate the occurrence of rabies in the State of Sergipe a total of 935 hematophagous bats (Desmodus rotundus), 46 wild dogs (Cerdocyon thous) and 24 primates (Callithrix spp.) were analyzed from 1987 to 2014, of which 1 bat, 17 crab-eating foxes and no primates were positive. Due to the lack of positive results in hematophagous bats, the main vector of herbivorous rabies, more studies are needed to monitor cases, because from an epidemiological point of view, Sergipe is endemic for herbivorous rabies. Epidemiological surveillance of rabies virus in wild animals is primordial for the success of disease control programs in herds of domestic animals and humans.

Rabies surveillance in wild mammals in South of Brazil

“…The findings reported here are in agreement with previous studies performed in different biomes in Brazil, which demonstrated that wild animals have been exposed to RABV as indicated by detection of RABV antigens or RVNA identification (Antunes et al, ; Araujo et al, ; Cordeiro et al, ; Jorge et al, ; Rocha et al, ). In Brazil, from 2002 to 2012, the number of laboratorial confirmed cases of rabies, by direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT) in terrestrial wild animals was 460 (Rocha et al, ).…”

“…However, the circulation of RABV in wildlife, and particularly in bats, has now become a major concern for public health (Fisher, Streicker, & Schnell, ; Freire de Carvalho et al, ; Lee et al ,; Rupprecht et al, ).In the last decade, most human deaths in Brazil are attributed to spillover from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (Secretaria de Vigilancia em Saude & Ministerio da Saude, ) . Foxes (i.e., crab‐eating fox Cerdocyon tho us) and primates (i.e., marmoset Callithrix jacchus ) have also been identified as reservoirs of RABV variants (Antunes et al, ; Favoretto et al, ; Kotait, De, Maria, & Carrieri, ; Páez, Saad, Núñez, & Bóshell, ) and can transmit rabies to humans (Freire de Carvalho et al, ; Velasco‐villa et al, ). In addition, serological studies have shown evidence of exposure to RABV in the absence of clinical signs in several primates and marsupials species (Antunes et al, ; Araujo et al, ).…”

“…Seropositive capuchin monkeys and crab‐eating foxes from the biome Atlantic Forest in the State of São Paulo (Almeida, Massad, Aguiar, Martorelli, & Joppert, ; Antunes et al, ; Araujo et al, ; Machado et al, ) and from the biomes Pantanal and Cerrado in the Midwest (Jorge et al, ) have also been described. Also in the Northeast region of Brazil, marmosets are considered reservoirs of a particular RABV variant (Antunes et al, ; Favoretto et al, ; Kotait et al, ). Nevertheless, very limited information is available on the circulation of rabies in wild animals from the biomes Pampa and Atlantic Forest, in Southern Brazil (Figure ).…”

“…However, the circulation of RABV in wildlife, and particularly in bats, has now become a major concern for public health (Fisher, Streicker, & Schnell, 2018;Freire de Carvalho et al, 2018;Lee et al 2012,;Rupprecht et al, 2017).In the last decade, most human deaths in Brazil are attributed to spillover from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (Secretaria de Vigilancia em Saude & Ministerio da Saude, 2019). Foxes (i.e., crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous) and primates (i.e., marmoset Callithrix jacchus) have also been identified as reservoirs of RABV variants (Antunes et al, 2018;Favoretto et al, 2013;Kotait, De, Maria, & Carrieri, 2019;Páez, Saad, Núñez, & Bóshell, 2005) and…”

“…Seropositive capuchin monkeys and crab-eating foxes from the biome Atlantic Forest in the State of São Paulo (Almeida, Massad, Aguiar, Martorelli, & Joppert, 2001;Antunes et al, 2017;Araujo et al, 2014;Machado et al, 2012) and from the biomes Pantanal and Cerrado in the Midwest (Jorge et al, 2010) have also been described. Also in the Northeast region of Brazil, marmosets are considered reservoirs of a particular RABV variant (Antunes et al, 2018;Favoretto et al, 2013;.…”