Bioecological Drivers of Rabies Virus Circulation in a Neotropical Bat Community.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In addition to the commonly accepted importance of the vampire bat in the maintenance and transmission of the rabies virus (RABV) in South America, RABV infection of other species is widely evidenced, challenging their role in the viral cycle.

Methodology / principles findings

To identify the bioecological drivers of RABV circulation in neotropical bat communities, we conducted a molecular and serological survey on almost 1,000 bats from 30 species, and a 4-year longitudinal survey in two colonies of vampire bats in French Guiana. RABV was molecularly detected in a common vampire and in a frugivorous bat. The sequences corresponded to haematophagous bat-related strains and were close to viruses circulating in the Brazilian Amazon region. Species' seroprevalence

SUBMITTER: de Thoisy B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4726525 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature