Lyssaviruses and bats: emergence and zoonotic threat

Abstract

The continued detection of zoonotic viral infections in bats has led to the microbial fauna of these mammals being studied at a greater level than ever before. Whilst numerous pathogens have been discovered in bat species, infection with lyssaviruses is of particular significance from a zoonotic perspective as, where human infection has been reported, it is invariably fatal. Here we review the detection of lyssaviruses within different bat species and overview what is understood regarding their maintenance and transmission following both experimental and natural infection. We discuss the relevance of these pathogens as zoonotic agents and the threat of newly discovered viruses to human populations.

Figure 1

A phylogenetic analysis of the lyssaviruses. Numbers on the tree correspond to each of the lyssaviruses detailed in the accompanying table. Silhouetted species represent where viruses have been associated with bat infection and/or human fatalities. Virus acronyms are as defined in Table 1. The phylogenetic analysis is based on 405 nucleotides of the nucleoprotein gene. All sequences were aligned using ClustalW. Bootstrap values at significant nodes are shown.

Figure 2

A Lyssavirus timeline. Acronyms are as detailed in Table 1. Regions where different lyssaviruses are found are coloured and dates for initial isolations are shown.

Figure 3

Phylogenetic analysis of lyssavirus sequence data derived from bats in China with rabies and other lyssaviruses. A comparison of 260 nucleotides of the nucleocapsid gene was used to generate the alignment using a maximum-likelihood neighbour-joining analysis.