Re‐emergence of rabies virus maintained by canid populations in Paraguay

Abstract

Paraguay has registered no human cases of rabies since 2004, and the last case in dogs, reported in 2009, was due to a variant maintained in the common vampire bat "Desmodus rotundus". In 2014, a dog was diagnosed as positive for rabies with aggression towards a boy and all required measures of control were successfully adopted. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the dog was not vaccinated and had been attacked by a crab-eating fox, "zorro" (Cerdocyon thous). The sample was diagnosed by the Official Veterinary Service of the Country and sent to the Center on Rabies Research from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, for antigenic and genetic characterization. A second sample from a dog positive for rabies in the same region in 2015 and 11 samples from a rabies outbreak from Asuncion in 1996 were also characterized. The antigenic profile of the samples, AgV2, was compatible with one of the variants maintained by dogs in Latin America. In genetic characterization, the samples segregated in the canine (domestic and wild species)-related group in an independent subgroup that also included samples from Argentina. These results and the epidemiology of the case indicate that even with the control of rabies in domestic animals, the virus can still circulate in wildlife and may be transmitted to domestic animals and humans, demonstrating the importance of continuous and improved surveillance and control of rabies, including in wild species, to prevent outbreaks in controlled areas.

Evaluation of Two Real-Time, TaqMan Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays for Detection of Rabies Virus in Circulating Variants from Argentina: Influence of Sequence Variation

“…Rabies virus circulates through two different epidemiological cycles: terrestrial and bat-borne, associated with different species within the orders Carnivora and Chiroptera, respectively. In Argentina, two terrestrial variants are found: V1 associated with domestic dogs; V2 circulates among sylvatic canids, particularly in the crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous [10,11]. Argentinian bat-borne variants can be subdivided into two groups: those circulating among insectivorous bats and variants associated with the hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus.…”

Reviewing the Role of Vultures at the Human-Wildlife-Livestock Disease Interface: An African Perspective

“…Periodic resurgences of rabies have occurred around the world in recent times, including Paraguay (Amarilla et al 2018), New York, USA (Chang et al 2002), and KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa (Weyer 2018). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 95% of rabies cases reported annually are from Africa and South East Asia alone, with disadvantaged communities being particularly vulnerable (WHO 2019).…”

O panorama epidemiológico geral da raiva humana no Brasil com foco principal na região sul do país nos últimos anos

“…Essas estimativas temporais (2004 e 2014) marcam um período de exclusão praticamente total da raiva, não somente no nosso país, mas também em países vizinhos, como o Paraguai. 28 Ao longo do nosso estudo o que chama mais a atenção é que tanto em nosso país, como em diversos outros países houve um longo tempo sem casos notificados de raiva, seja ela animal ou humana o que levou a uma redução massiva em relação a vacinação dos cães levando dessa forma a falsa percepção, por parte da população, de que a vacina não seria mais importante para a manutenção do quadro epidemiológico vigente. Outra hipótese que estaria levando a essa redução seria decorrente de um problema registrado com lotes da vacina em 2010, culminando assim na morte de dezenas de animais em todo o Brasil, o que fez com que a aderência de cães e gatos sofresse uma queda, conforme afirma a Organização Mundial de Proteção Animal.…”