Wildlife rabies in perspective

Abstract

Populations of a number of species of the orders Carnivora and Chiroptera maintain independent rabies epidemics in different parts of the world. However, in large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, rabid dogs outnumber diagnosed wildlife cases. Rabies virus variants circulating in different host populations can be distinguished by the use of monoclonal antibodies and by genomic analysis. Rabies virus strains and their hosts have to be co-adapted in order to allow their prolonged co-existence.