Lagos bat virus, South Africa.Three more isolates of Lagos bat virus Lagos bat virus is a lyssavirus that causes a rabies-like illness in mammals in southern and central Africa. It was first isolated from a fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) from Lagos Island, Nigeria in 1956. were recently recovered from fruit bats in South Africa after an apparent absence of this virus for 13 years. The sporadic occurrence of cases is likely due to inadequate surveillance programs for lyssavirus infections among bat populations in Africa. ********** Since 2003, we have embarked on a passive surveillance study to collect and identify bats with neurologic disease signs that may indicate encephalitis encephalitis (ĕnsĕf'əlī`təs), general term used to describe a diffuse inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, usually of viral origin, often transmitted by mosquitoes, in contrast to a bacterial infection of the meninges due to lyssavirus infection. Consequently, 3 new cases of Lagos bat virus (LBV LBV Lake Buena Vista LBV Late Bottled Vintage (port wine) LBV Legião da Boa Vontade (Brazil) LBV Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung (Germany) LBV Load Bearing Vest ) infection in fruit bats were identified in South Africa, 1 each in 2003, 2004, and 2005. LBV is a member of the Lyssavirus genus in the Rhabdoviridae family. Rabies virus rabies virus n. A rather large, bullet-shaped virus of the genus Lyssavirus that causes rabies. (RABV) was first isolated as a unique virus within this group. However, after the isolation of rabies-related viruses in Africa and Europe in the mid-1950s, the Lyssavirus genus was created, and rabies virus (genotype 1) was designated as the type-species member of the genus. At least 7 different major Lyssavirus species (genotypes) are recognized (1), but the genus will be expanded to include organisms isolated from Eurasia in recent years (2). At present, 4 Lyssavirus species (genotypes) are recognized in Africa. Of these, RABV (genotype 1) occurs worldwide, but LBV (genotype 2), Mokola virus Mo·ko·la virus n. A rabies-related virus of the genus Lyssavirus found most commonly in Africa and causing a fatal neurological disease in humans and cats. (genotype 3), and Duvenhage virus Duvenhage virus a rabies-like virus isolated from fruit-eating bats in which it causes a disease similar to rabies. (genotype 4) have not been encountered outside of Africa. Although RABV infection of bats is well known in the Americas, this virus has only been associated with infections of terrestrial mammals on the African continent. Mokola virus has also been isolated only from various terrestrial species, never bats (3). Both LBV and Duvenhage virus are thought to be bat viruses, although LBV infections of terrestrial animals have been reported (4,5). RABV is a zoonotic Zoonotic A disease which can be spread from animals to humans. Mentioned in: Zoonosis agent throughout Africa; Duvenhage virus and Mokola virus, but not LBV, have also been responsible for rare zoonotic events (3, 6). LBV was first isolated from a fruit bat fruit bat, fruit-eating bat found in tropical regions of the Old World. It is relatively large and differs from other bats in the possession of an independent, clawed second digit; it also depends on sight rather than echo-location in maintaining orientation. in 1956 in Nigeria (7), but not until 1970 was it identified as a rabies related virus (8). Since then (and before this report), 11 more isolations of LBV were made throughout Africa (Table 1), including 5 isolates from South Africa. The Case In June 2003, an Epomophorus wahlbergi carcass was recovered in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, after the bat was caught by a domestic cat. In August 2004, a resident of Umbilo, Durban, found a dead E. wahlbergi fruit bat on her lawn one morning after hearing squeaking noises around the house during the night. The fluorescent-antibody test (FAT), performed on brain material, was positive for lyssavirus antigens, and virus was isolated in both cases when suckling suckling In mammals, the drawing of milk into the mouth from the nipple of a mammary gland. In human beings, it is referred to as nursing or breast-feeding. The word also denotes an animal that has not yet been weaned—that is, whose access to milk has not yet been mice died 9-14 days after intracerebral in·tra·cer·e·bral adj. Existing within the cerebrum. injection with brain suspensions. Antigenic typing was carried out with a panel of anti-lyssavirus nucleocapsid nucleocapsid /nu·cleo·cap·sid/ (noo?kle-o-kap´sid) a unit of viral structure, consisting of a capsid with the enclosed nucleic acid. nu·cle·o·cap·sid n. monoclonal antibodies (prepared by the Centre of Expertise for Rabies, Canadian Food Inspection Agency The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (French: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments), or CFIA, which was created in April 1997, brought together inspection and related services previously provided through the activities of four federal government departments , Nepean, Ontario, Canada). These analyses identified both new isolates as LBV (genotype 2) (Table 2). Additional characterization was accomplished by polymerase chain reaction polymerase chain reaction (pŏl`ĭmərās') (PCR), laboratory process in which a particular DNA segment from a mixture of DNA chains is rapidly replicated, producing a large, readily analyzed sample of a piece of DNA; the process is (PCR PCR polymerase chain reaction. PCR abbr. polymerase chain reaction Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ) and sequencing of a 457-bp region of the nucleoprotein-encoding gene with a novel set of PCR and sequencing primers specific for LBV (LagNF (5'GGGCAGATATGACGCGAGA-3') and LagNR (5'TTGACCGGGTTCAAACATC-3'). Briefly, total RNA RNA: see nucleic acid. RNA in full ribonucleic acid One of the two main types of nucleic acid (the other being DNA), which functions in cellular protein synthesis in all living cells and replaces DNA as the carrier of genetic was extracted from infected tissue by using TRIzol (Invitrogen, Croningen, the Netherlands) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Complementary DNA complementary DNA n. cDNA. was produced by a reverse transcription reverse transcription n. The process by which DNA is synthesized from an RNA template. reaction (RT) and used in subsequent PCR. PCR products were purified by using the Wizard SV PCR and Gel purification kit (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). The purified products were then sequenced by using the Big Dye Termination Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit 3.1 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA), according to the manufacturer's protocol, with subsequent analysis on an Applied Biosystems 377 DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. automated sequencer See MIDI sequencer. (music) sequencer - Any system for recording and/or playback of music via a programmable memory which stores music not as audio data, but as some representation of notes. . In June 2005, a caretaker/gardener at a communal outdoor sports complex in the Bluff, Durban, found a bat on the lawns of the complex. At the time, birds were picking at it, and on closer inspection, it was found to be an immobile adult animal with a pup attached to it. The caretaker collected both bats and placed them in a nearby tree. Later, the bats, still attached to each other, were again found on the ground, where eyewitnesses also saw a cat toying with it. The animals were then presented to a local bat rehabilitator. The adult animal died and was submitted for diagnostic testing Diagnostic testing Testing performed to determine if someone is affected with a particular disease. Mentioned in: Von Willebrand Disease , but results of FAT carried out on brain smears were repeatedly negative. The pup had at least 1 evident bite wound, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. from the cat, but otherwise appeared healthy and was cared for by the rehabilitator. Although the pup was reported to be feeding and doing well, it suddenly died [approximately equal to] 4 days after being found, on June 21, 2005. By this time, RT-PCR RT-PCR reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. See PCR1. and nucleotide sequencing assays, carried out as described above, showed LBV in brain material from the adult. Antigenic typing was not performed because the level of lyssavirus antigen in the brain matter was undetectable. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the carcass of the pup was recovered, and brain material was subjected to FAT and diagnostic RT-PCR. Although the RT-PCR results were inconclusive, the FAT results were negative. DNA sequencing information from each case was compared with nucleoprotein nucleoprotein Macromolecular complex consisting of a protein linked to a nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA. The proteins that combine with DNA are generally of characteristic types called histones and protamines. sequence information for LBV and other lyssavirus species (genotypes) available in the public domain (GenBank). ClustalW was used to produce sequence alignments and generate a phylogenetic tree (Figure). A graphic representation of the trees was constructed with the TreeView program. In this phylogeny, the 3 new LBV isolates segregate together with previously identified LBV isolates from Ethiopia (AY333110) (7) and Nigeria (U22842) (5). The recent isolates from South Africa share a close sequence homology with the isolate from Ethiopia. This finding warrants further investigation. Conclusions Although LBV is rare and has not been reported in South Africa in 13 years, a small-scale passive surveillance effort in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, enabled us to identify 3 new isolations of LBV in a relatively short time. This finding reemphasizes our lack of understanding of the true prevalence of lyssaviruses in Africa because of poor surveillance for non-rabies viruses (and, in fact, RABV) throughout the continent. Human infections with LBV have not been documented to date; however, this virus has been reported in domestic animals (2 cats [4] and a dog [5]). We describe close contact between humans and other animals and LBV-infected bats. Cross-neutralization data obtained in rodent models show that rabies preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis is unlikely to be effective against LBV (14). We have shown that LBV infection may be present in bat populations; consequently, we recommend appropriate precautions and use of proper personal protection equipment, such as gloves, when interacting with these animals. Even though the value of rabies vaccination is doubtful, it should be considered in light of the potential for cross-reactivity (15) and the lack of alternatives. Surveillance should be maintained as part of a strategy to better understand the epidemiology of LBV. Cumulatively, all available evidence indicates that LBV is likely persistently maintained in Megachiroptera populations in South Africa and other African countries where LBV has been reported in the past. Acknowledgments We thank the members of the bat interest group of KwaZulu-Natal for their interest in this project and for submitting samples. This work was funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa is a government research foundation. It reports directly to the South African Minister of Science and Technology. Profile The NRF was established in 1999 by the South African parliament through the NRF Act. . Ms Markotter is a junior lecturer in microbiology at the University of Pretoria. She is conducting research toward a PhD thesis dealing with the epidemiology and pathogenesis of African lyssaviruses. References (1.) Fauquet CM, Mayo MA, Maniloff J, Desselberger U, Ball LA. Virus taxonomy: the classification and nomenclature of viruses. The eighth report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is a committee which authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of viruses. They have developed a universal taxonomic scheme for viruses and aim to describe all the viruses of living organisms. . San Diego: Academic Press; 2004. p. 623-31. (2.) Kuzmin IV, Hughes GJ, Botvinkin AD, Orciari LA, Rupprecht CE. Phylogenetic phy·lo·ge·net·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to phylogeny or phylogenetics. 2. Relating to or based on evolutionary development or history. relationships of Irkut and West Caucasian bat viruses within the lyssavirus genus and suggested quantitative criteria based on the N gene sequence for lyssaviruses genotype definition. Virus Res. 2005;111:28-43. (3.) Nel L, Jacobs J, Jaftha J, von Teichman B, Bingham J. New cases of Mokola virus infection in South Africa: a genotypic comparison of southern African virus isolates. Virus Genes. 2000;20:103-6. (4.) King A, Crick Crick , Francis Henry Compton 1916-2004. British biologist who with James D. Watson proposed a spiral model, the double helix, for the molecular structure of DNA. He shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for advances in the study of genetics. J. Rabies-related viruses. In: Campbell JB, Charlton KM, editors. Rabies. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1988. p. 177-200. (5.) Mebatsion T, Cox JH, Frost JW. Isolation and characterization of 115 street rabies virus isolates from Ethiopia by using monoclonal antibodies: identification of 2 isolates as Mokola and Lagos bat viruses. J Infect Dis. 1992;166:972-7. (6.) Swanepoel R, Barnard BJH BJH Barclay James Harvest (English pop group) BJH Bethel Junior High BJH Bopp-Jancso-Heinzinger (potential function) BJH Brookhurst Junior High (Anaheim, CA) , Meredith CD, Bishop GC, Bruekner GK, Foggin CM, et al. Rabies in southern Africa. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 1993;60:325-46. (7.) Boulger LR, Porterfield JS. Isolation of a virus from Nigerian fruit bats. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1958;52:421-4. (8.) Shope RE, Murphy FA, Harrison AK, Causey Causey is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north of Stanley. OR, Kemp, GE, Simpson DIH DIH Droit International Humanitaire (International Humanitarian Law) DIH Derecho Internacional Humanitario (International Humanitarian Law) DIH Diploma in Industrial Health (British) , et al. Two African viruses serologically and morphologically related to rabies virus. J Virol. 1970;6:690-2. (9.) Sureau P, Tignor GH, Smith AL. Antigenic characterization of the Bangui strain (ANCB-672D) of Lagos bat virus. Ann Virol. 1980;131:25-32. (10.) Meredith CD, Standing E. Lagos bat virus in South Africa. Lancet. 1981;1:832-3. (11.) Crick J, Tignor GH, Moreno K. A new isolate of Lagos bat virus from the Republic of South Africa. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1982;76:211-3. (12.) Isolations of Lagos bat virus in West Africa. Internal reports of Centre Collaborateur OMS OMS - Opportunity Management System de Reference et Recherche Pour les Arbovirus arbovirus Any of a large group of viruses that develop in arthropods (chiefly mosquitoes and ticks). The name derives from “arthropod-borne virus.” The spheroidal virus particle is encased in a fatty membrane and contains RNA; it causes no apparent harm to the . Dakar (Senegal): Institut Pasteur; 1985. Available from http://www.pasteur.fr/recherche/banques/CRORA/bibref/br01600.ht m and http://www.pasteur.fr/recherche/banques/CRORA/bibref/ br01610.htm (13.) Aubert FA. Rabies in individual countries: France. Rabies Bulletin Europe [serial on the Internet].1999 [cited 30 Jan 2006]. Available from http://www.who-rabies-bulletin.org/q2_1999/frame2_99.html (14.) Badrane H, Bahloul C, Perrin P, Tordo N. Evidence of two Lyssavirus phylogroups with distinct pathogenicity and immunogenicity immunogenicity /im·mu·no·ge·nic·i·ty/ (-je-nis´it-e) the property enabling a substance to provoke an immune response, or the degree to which a substance possesses this property. . J Virol. 2001;75:3268-76. (15.) Hanlon CA, Kuzmin IV, Blanton JD, Weldon WC, Manangan JS, Rupprecht CE. Efficacy of rabies biologics against new lyssaviruses from Eurasia. Virus Res. 2005;111:44-54. Address for correspondence: Louis H. Nel, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; fax: 012-420-3266; email: louis.nel@up.ac.za All material published in Emerging Infectious Diseases is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission; proper citation, however, is required. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . Wanda Markotter, * Jenny Randles, ([dagger]) Charles E. Rupprecht, ([double dagger]) Claude T. Sabeta, ([section]) Peter J. Taylor, ([paragraph]) Alex I. Wandeler, # and Louis H. Nel * * University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; ([dagger]) Allerton Veterinary Laboratory, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; ([double dagger]) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. , Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ([section]) Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, Pretoria, South Africa; ([paragraph]) Natural Science Museum, Durban, South Africa; and # Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Table 1. Lagos bat virus isolates recorded to date
Year of
Geographic origin isolation Animal
Lagos, Nigeria 1956 Bat (Eidolon helvum)
Bozo, Central African
Republic 1974 Bat (Micropterus pusillus)
Pinetown, South Africa (3
isolates) 1980 Bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi)
Stanger, South Africa 1982 Cat
Kindia, Senegal 1985 Bat (Nycteris cambiensis)
Dakar, Senegal 1985 Bat (E. helvum)
Dorowa, Zimbabwe 1986 Cat
Durban, South Africa 1990 Bat (E. wahlbergi)
Ethiopia Before 1992 Dog
Egypt 1999 Bat (Roussetus aegyptiacus)
Durban, South Africa 2003 Bat (E. wahlbergi)
Durban, South Africa 2004 Bat (E. wahlbergi)
Durban, South Africa 2005 Bat (E. wahlbergi)
Geographic origin Reference
Lagos, Nigeria (7)
Bozo, Central African
Republic (9)
Pinetown, South Africa (3
isolates) (10,11)
Stanger, South Africa (11)
Kindia, Senegal (12)
Dakar, Senegal (12)
Dorowa, Zimbabwe (4)
Durban, South Africa (6)
Ethiopia (5)
Egypt (13)
Durban, South Africa This report
Durban, South Africa This report
Durban, South Africa This report
Table 2. Immunofluorescence reaction of a panel of 16 monoclonal
antibodies against the nucleoprotein of Lagos bat virus isolations,
South Africa, 2003 and 2004 *
Lagos bat
Canid biotype Mongoose virus Mokola virus
Antibody (GT1) biotype (GT1) (GT2) (GT3)
1C5 - - - -
26AB7 +++ Variable - -
26BE2 +++ Variable - -
32GD12 Variable Variable - -
38HF2 +++ +++ +++ +++
M612 - - +++ -
M837 - - - -
M850 - Variable - -
M853 +++ - - -
M1001 - - - +++
M1335 - Variable - Variable
M1386 - +++ - -
M1400 - Variable - -
M1407 ++ Variable - -
M1412 ++ Variable - -
M1494 - Variable - -
Duvenhage
Antibody virus (GT4) 2003 isolate 2004 isolate
1C5
26AB7 - - -
26BE2 - - -
32GD12 - - -
38HF2 +++ +++ +++
M612 - +++ +++
M837 +++ - -
M850 +++ - -
M853 +++ - -
M1001 - - -
M1335 - - -
M1386 - - -
M1400 - - -
M1407 - - -
M1412 - - -
M1494 +++ - -
* Typical immunofluorescence antibody pattern observed for all
lyssavirus genotypes present on the African continent (genotype
[GT] 1, 2, 3, and 4) are also included as a reference: -, no
specific fluorescence; ++, strong fluorescence; +++, very strong
fluorescence.
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