Use of partial N-gene sequences as a tool to monitor progress on rabies control and elimination efforts in Ethiopia
Binkley, Laura; Deressa, Asefa; Shi, Mang; Jara, Manuel; E. Escobar, Luis; R. Mauldin, Mathew; Matheny, Audrey; O’Quin, Jeanette; G. Pieracci, Emily; Kling, Chantal; Hartloge, Yimer; Abate, Ebba; Gebreyes, Wondwossen; Reynolds, Mary; Belay, Ermias; Shiferaw, Miriam; Nakazawa, Yoshinori; Velasco-Villa, Andres
Date:
2021-09
Organizations Affiliated to the Authors:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Gulele Sub City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ohio State University Global One Health Initiative, Columbus, OH, USA
Centre for Infection and Immunity Studies, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24601, USA
Status:
Open Access
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106022
Abstract:
Ethiopia is one of the African countries most affected by rabies. A coarse catalog of rabies viruses (RABV) was
created as a benchmark to assess the impact of control and elimination activities. We evaluated a 726 bp
amplicon at the end of the N-gene to infer viral lineages in circulation using maximum likelihood and Bayesian
methods for phylogenetic reconstruction. We sequenced 228 brain samples from wild and domestic animals
collected in five Ethiopian regions during 2010–2017. Results identified co-circulating RABV lineages that are
causing recurrent spillover infections into wildlife and domestic animals. We found no evidence of importation of
RABVs from other African countries or vaccine-induced cases in the area studied. A divergent RABV lineage
might be involved in an independent rabies cycle in jackals. This investigation provides a feasible approach to
assess rabies control and elimination efforts in resource-limited countries.
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