How to translate text using browser tools
6 January 2020 Rabies Outbreak in Captive Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) Used in a White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Trial
Rachel C. Abbott, Lenore Saindon, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Lauren Greenberg, Lillian Orciari, Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar, Tonie E. Rocke
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

An outbreak of rabies occurred in a captive colony of wild-caught big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Five of 27 bats exhibited signs of rabies virus infection 22–51 d after capture or 18–22 d after contact with the index case. Rabid bats showed weight loss, aggression, increased vocalization, hypersalivation, and refusal of food. Antigenic typing and virus sequencing confirmed that all five bats were infected with an identical rabies virus variant that circulates in E. fuscus in the US. Two bats with no signs of rabies virus infection were seropositive for rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies; the brains of these bats had no detectable viral proteins by the direct fluorescence antibody test. We suspect bat-to-bat transmission of rabies virus occurred among our bats because all rabies-infected bats were confined to the cage housing the index case and were infected with viruses having identical sequences of the entire rabies nucleoprotein gene. This outbreak illustrates the risk of rabies virus infection in captive bats and highlights the need for researchers using bats to assume that all wild bats could be infected with rabies virus.

© Wildlife Disease Association 2020
Rachel C. Abbott, Lenore Saindon, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Lauren Greenberg, Lillian Orciari, Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar, and Tonie E. Rocke "Rabies Outbreak in Captive Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) Used in a White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Trial," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 56(1), 197-202, (6 January 2020). https://doi.org/10.7589/2018-10-258
Received: 18 October 2018; Accepted: 26 February 2019; Published: 6 January 2020
KEYWORDS
bats
Eptesicus fuscus
rabies
virus-neutralizing antibodies
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top