First isolation of a rabies‐related virus from a Daubenton's bat in the United Kingdom

Abstract

On May 30, 1996, a sick Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) was recovered from the cellar of a public house in Newhaven, East Sussex. Its condition deteriorated rapidly, and it was euthanased and examined. Positive results, establishing the presence of a rabies or rabies-related virus in its brain, were obtained from the fluorescent antibody test, the rabies tissue culture isolation test, and a hemi-nested reverse-transcription PCR. The complete sequence of the nucleoprotein gene was determined and a phylogenetic analysis, based on the 470 nucleotide bases of the amino terminus of the nucleoprotein, established the genotype of the virus as European bat lyssavirus 2. Bat rabies had not previously been recorded in the UK but does occur in mainland Europe. A study of the back-trajectories of the wind on May 29 and 30, established that the infected bat possibly came from near the Franco-Swiss border.

Development of harmonised schemes for monitoring and reporting of rabies in animals in the European Union

“…EBLV-1 and EBLV-2 have been shown to have a specific association with the Serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus and Eptesicus isabellinus) (Vazquez-Moron et al, 2008;Picard-Meyer et al, 2004b) and the species of Myotis bats (Myotis daubentonii and Myotis dascyneme), respectively (Whitby et al, 2000;Johnson et al, 2003;Harris et al, 2006), whereas rabies cases due to EBLVs in other bat species have only occasionally been reported (Müller et al, 2007). West Caucasian bat virus (WCBV), a recently ratified member of the lyssavirus genus with distinct genetic and biological properties, was isolated from a Schreiber's long-fingered bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) on the European side of the Caucasus mountain range (Kuzmin et al, 2005).…”

Rabies in North America and Europe

“…In addition, three strains of RV seem to cause disease in skunks in the north and south central States and in California 9 . The disease spread in the 1950s, affecting foxes across Canada and in New England.…”

Development of a Real-Time, TaqMan Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay for Detection and Differentiation of Lyssavirus Genotypes 1, 5, and 6

“…The United Kingdom is considered "rabies-free," with only occasional cases of human rabies arising from contact with rabid animals while abroad (15,24). However, in 1996 a positive case of EBLV type 2 was found in a Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) in Sussex (30). In September 2002, an EBLV type 2 isolate was detected in a Daubenton's bat in Lancashire (17), and in November of the same year a bat handler in Angus, Scotland, died of EBLV type 2-associated rabies (9).…”