Scripting Guide
A novel lyssavirus isolated from Pteropid bats in Australia (Australian Bat Lyssavirus, ABLV) has been characterised using gene sequence analyses, electron microscopy and a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Electron microscopic examination of Pteropid bat and mouse brain material as well as virus isolated from tissue culture medium, showed the presence of bullet-shaped rhabdovirus particles and structures characteristic of lyssavirus. Analysis using nucleocapsid (N) specific monoclonal antibodies, showed a strong relationship between this new lyssavirus and serotype 1 rabies. The nucleotide sequence of the prototype strain of ABLV was determined from the initiator methionine codon for the nucleocapsid protein (N protein) to the amino terminus of the polymerase gene (L protein), a distance of 5344 nucleotides. Comparisons of the deduced N, phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), and glycoprotein (G) proteins showed that ABLV was more closely related to serotype 1 classic rabies viruses than to other members of the Lyssavirus genus. The percent relatedness of the ABLV proteins when compared to the cognate proteins of PV (Pasteur vaccine strain) rabies was 92, 75, 87 and 75% for the N, P, M and G proteins, respectively. Phylogenetic studies of N protein sequences showed clearly that ABLV is an unrecognised member of the Lyssavirus genus and represents a new genotype, genotype 7.
The Lyssavirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae consists of five serotypes. Representative viruses from each serotype are the classical rabies virus (serotype 1), Lagos Bat virus (serotype 2), Mokola virus (serotype 3), Duvenhage virus (serotype 4) and European bat virus (serotype 5). Gene sequence analysis of the N protein of these viruses has shown that the serotypes can be classified into six distinct genotypes with the latter serotype 5 being split into genotype 5 (ELB1) and genotype 6 (ELB2) (Bourhy et al., 1993). Each virus has a negative sense, single stranded RNA genome of approximately 12 kb containing coding information for the N (nucleocapsid), P (phosphoprotein), M (matrix protein), G (glycoprotein) and L (RNA polymerase enzyme) proteins (Bourhy et al., 1993).
Until recently, the distribution of rabies and related lyssaviruses in America, Africa and Europe was considered to be both well understood at the molecular and epidemiological levels (Bourhy et al., 1993, and references therein) with Australia considered to be free of endemic terrestrial rabies (Geering and Forman, 1987). In the last decade, two reported cases of human rabies in Australia were thought to have been contracted overseas (Faogali et al., 1988, McColl et al., 1993). Some Australian rhabdoviruses have been isolated which serologically cross react with members of the Lyssavirus genus (Calisher et al., 1989, Gard et al., 1992, Walker et al., 1994) and some have been classified as possible lyssaviruses (Calisher et al., 1989, Gard et al., 1992). The identification of ABLV in Australia, which has been associated with encephalitis in both frugivorous bats (flying foxes, genus Pteropus) and humans, has caused considerable concern to Public Health Authorities, animal carers and the general public (Pal et al., 1980, Fraser et al., 1996).
This paper describes monoclonal antibody profiling, gene sequence analyses, as well as electron microscopy studies of viral-infected tissues and cell cultures, to more fully characterise ABLV.
The Lyssavirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae consists of five serotypes. Representative viruses from each serotype are the classical rabies virus (serotype 1), Lagos Bat virus (serotype 2), Mokola virus (serotype 3), Duvenhage virus (serotype 4) and European bat virus (serotype 5). Gene sequence analysis of the N protein of these viruses has shown that the serotypes can be classified into six distinct genotypes with the latter serotype 5 being split into genotype 5 (ELB1) and genotype 6 (ELB2) (Bourhy et al., 1993). Each virus has a negative sense, single stranded RNA genome of approximately 12 kb containing coding information for the N (nucleocapsid), P (phosphoprotein), M (matrix protein), G (glycoprotein) and L (RNA polymerase enzyme) proteins (Bourhy et al., 1993).
Until recently, the distribution of rabies and related lyssaviruses in America, Africa and Europe was considered to be both well understood at the molecular and epidemiological levels (Bourhy et al., 1993, and references therein) with Australia considered to be free of endemic terrestrial rabies (Geering and Forman, 1987). In the last decade, two reported cases of human rabies in Australia were thought to have been contracted overseas (Faogali et al., 1988, McColl et al., 1993). Some Australian rhabdoviruses have been isolated which serologically cross react with members of the Lyssavirus genus (Calisher et al., 1989, Gard et al., 1992, Walker et al., 1994) and some have been classified as possible lyssaviruses (Calisher et al., 1989, Gard et al., 1992). The identification of ABLV in Australia, which has been associated with encephalitis in both frugivorous bats (flying foxes, genus Pteropus) and humans, has caused considerable concern to Public Health Authorities, animal carers and the general public (Pal et al., 1980, Fraser et al., 1996).
This paper describes monoclonal antibody profiling, gene sequence analyses, as well as electron microscopy studies of viral-infected tissues and cell cultures, to more fully characterise ABLV.
Nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government. Nature, habit, opinion has drawn indelible lines of distinction between them.
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26-30, M