that the prevalence of EBOV in these tested bat species is greater than that previously detected in E. helvum bats (1/262 serum samples) (1). The higher estimated prevalence in these species occurred despite the fact that E. helvum bats live in large colonies comprising several million animals, which make the species an ideal host for acute RNA virus infections. The relatively low seroprevalenc...

Eleven different lyssavirus species, four of which occur on the African continent, are presently recognized. These viruses cause rabies, the burden of which is highest in the developing world, where routine laboratory diagnosis is often not available. From an epidemiological and control perspective, it is necessary that diagnostic methods detect the diversity of lyssaviruses present in differen...

Rabies is a lyssavirus infection resulting in acute encephalitis or meningoencephalitis that is virtually always fatal. The disease can be caused by several different rabies and rabies-like viruses (box 1). Rabies is a neglected tropical disease that predominantly affects the most vulnerable humans—children living in the most disadvantaged areas of the poorest countries. Many countries have suc...

To the Editor: Long incubation periods are an occasional feature of infection with rabies virus and should be considered in human cases of acute encephalitis in rabies-free countries where there has been a history of travel to rabies-endemic areas (1). Until 1987 Australia had recorded only 1 case of travel-acquired rabies. However, in 1990 an extreme case of long-incubation rabies was diagnose...

This report describes a previously undescribed reaction to human diploid cell rabies vaccine (HDCV). The vaccine is available for prophylaxis against Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL) infection both prior to and after possible exposure. Australian bat lyssavirus is the most recent lyssavirus to be discovered and has been linked to at least one death in Queensland. HDCV appears to be effective aga...

Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) is a known reservoir for European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2). An appreciation of the potential for epidemiological spread and disease risk requires an understanding of the dispersal of the primary host, and any large-scale geographical barriers that may impede gene flow. The spatial pattern of microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA variation was examined t...