Exposure to Lyssaviruses in Bats of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lem's N Kalemba; Michael Niezgoda; Amy T Gilbert; Jeffrey B Doty; Ryan M Wallace; Jean M Malekani; Darin S Carroll

doi:10.7589/2016-06-122

Exposure to Lyssaviruses in Bats of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

J Wildl Dis. 2017 Apr;53(2):408-410. doi: 10.7589/2016-06-122. Epub 2017 Feb 2.

Authors

Lem's N Kalemba¹, Michael Niezgoda², Amy T Gilbert³, Jeffrey B Doty², Ryan M Wallace², Jean M Malekani¹, Darin S Carroll²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, PO Box 218 Kinshasa 11, Democratic Republic of Congo.
² 2 Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
³ 3 US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.

Abstract

Lyssavirus infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are poorly documented. We examined 218 bats. No lyssavirus antigens were detected but Lagos bat virus (LBV) neutralizing antibodies (VNA) were detected in Eidolon helvum and Myonycteris torquata . Four samples with LBV VNA reacted against Shimoni bat virus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibodies, Viral
Chiroptera / virology*
Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lyssavirus / isolation & purification*
Nigeria
Rhabdoviridae Infections / veterinary*

Substances

Antibodies, Viral

Grants and funding

CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHS/United States