Molecular epidemiology of rabies in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
type: CreativeWork
description: In South Africa, two biotypes of type species 1 of the Lyssavirus genus are maintained independently among the members of the Herpestidae and Canidae families, respectively. Canid rabies is a relatively new addition to the African subcontinent, having been introduced from infectious cycles, which had existed among dogs in Angola, in the early 1940s. Two epidemics, believed to have originated from dog endemic regions which had existed in the southern Maputo district of Mozambique since 1952, have occurred among domestic dogs in the KwaZulu Natal province in recent years. The first of these epidemics started in 1964, and ended by 1968, while the second epidemic which started in 1976, has proven to be intractable, despite the concerted efforts which have been implemented to bring it under control. In order to contribute to the understanding of the molecular epidemiology of rabies in the KwaZulu Natal province, and to thereby assist in future surveillance and control efforts, we conducted a molecular sequence analysis of representative panel of viral isolates which were obtained from the province during the year 2003. A 591 nt. sequence encompassing the G-L intergenic region and glycoprotein cytoplasmic domain was sequenced for 128 viral isolates, which were obtained from the different magisterial districts and affected host species of the province, and was subsequently used to characterize these viruses phylogenetically. Characterization of the KwaZulu Natal variants, and comparison of the obtained sequence data, to sequences data which was obtained from rabies endemic regions from elsewhere in South Africa and Zimbabwe, in general supported the pattern of spread which led to the introduction of rabies into the province, as was previously suggested from the literature. The phylogeny which was established from the analyses, indicated that the viral isolates from the province were highly related to each other, and could be divided into two groups, which although belongin…
abstract: In South Africa, two biotypes of type species 1 of the Lyssavirus genus are maintained independently among the members of the Herpestidae and Canidae families, respectively. Canid rabies is a relatively new addition to the African subcontinent, having been introduced from infectious cycles, which had existed among dogs in Angola, in the early 1940s. Two epidemics, believed to have originated from dog endemic regions which had existed in the southern Maputo district of Mozambique since 1952, have occurred among domestic dogs in the KwaZulu Natal province in recent years. The first of these epidemics started in 1964, and ended by 1968, while the second epidemic which started in 1976, has proven to be intractable, despite the concerted efforts which have been implemented to bring it under control. In order to contribute to the understanding of the molecular epidemiology of rabies in the KwaZulu Natal province, and to thereby assist in future surveillance and control efforts, we conducted a molecular sequence analysis of representative panel of viral isolates which were obtained from the province during the year 2003. A 591 nt. sequence encompassing the G-L intergenic region and glycoprotein cytoplasmic domain was sequenced for 128 viral isolates, which were obtained from the different magisterial districts and affected host species of the province, and was subsequently used to characterize these viruses phylogenetically. Characterization of the KwaZulu Natal variants, and comparison of the obtained sequence data, to sequences data which was obtained from rabies endemic regions from elsewhere in South Africa and Zimbabwe, in general supported the pattern of spread which led to the introduction of rabies into the province, as was previously suggested from the literature. The phylogeny which was established from the analyses, indicated that the viral isolates from the province were highly related to each other, and could be divided into two groups, which although belongin…
keywords: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Rabies, Molecular, Epidemiology, South Africa (SA), UCTD
date published: 2007-02-27
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:52:34Z
provider: University of Pretoria
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Pretoria

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/22881