Australian bat lyssavirus
Encyclopedia
Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) (initially named pteropid lyssavirus PLV) is a zoonotic
virus
closely related to rabies
virus. It was first identified in a 5-month old juvenile Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto) collected near Ballina
in northern New South Wales
, Australia
in 1996 during a national surveillance program for the recently identified Hendra virus. ABLV is the seventh member of the lyssavirus
genus (which includes rabies virus) and the only lyssavirus family member present in Australia.
ABLV is distributed throughout Australia in a variety of bat species which are believed to be the primary reservoir for the virus. Two strains of the virus exist, one occurring in insectivorous bats and the other in fruit bats (megabats).
and immunohistochemistry
.
In August 1996, a woman in Queensland was bitten on the finger by a flying fox while attempting to remove it from a child it had landed on. Six months later, following heightened public attention from the first ABLV death, she consulted a GP regarding testing for the virus. Post exposure treatment was advised but declined. After a 27 month incubation a rabies-like illness developed. The condition worsened after hospital admission and she died 19 days after the onset of illness.
The first day the woman was hospitalised "[c]erebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and saliva were submitted for testing". On the fourth day of her hospital admission these tests were returned with results of "probably ABL infection". Post-mortem tests were all "strongly positive" for ABL. The length of incubation is unusual as classical rabies has typical incubation periods of less than 90 days.
Rabies vaccine
and immunoglobulin are effective in prophylactic and therapeutic protection from ABLV infection. Since the emergence of the virus, rabies vaccine is administered to individuals with a heightened risk of exposure and vaccine and immunoglobulin are provided for post exposure treatment.
ABLV is one of four zoonotic viruses discovered in Pteropid bats since 1994, the others being Hendra virus, Nipah virus and Menangle virus
. Of these, ABLV is the only virus known to be transmissible to humans directly from bats without an intermediate host.
Zoonosis
A zoonosis or zoonoseis any infectious disease that can be transmitted from non-human animals to humans or from humans to non-human animals . In a study of 1415 pathogens known to affect humans, 61% were zoonotic...
virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
closely related to rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
virus. It was first identified in a 5-month old juvenile Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto) collected near Ballina
Ballina, New South Wales
Ballina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...
in northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1996 during a national surveillance program for the recently identified Hendra virus. ABLV is the seventh member of the lyssavirus
Lyssavirus
Lyssavirus is a genus of viruses belonging to the family Rhabdoviridae, in the order Mononegavirales. This group of RNA viruses includes the Rabies virus traditionally associated with the disease.-Structure:Viruses typically have either helical or cubic symmetry...
genus (which includes rabies virus) and the only lyssavirus family member present in Australia.
ABLV is distributed throughout Australia in a variety of bat species which are believed to be the primary reservoir for the virus. Two strains of the virus exist, one occurring in insectivorous bats and the other in fruit bats (megabats).
Bat lyssavirus and human health
ABLV has caused two human deaths. The first occurred in November 1996 when an animal carer was scratched by a Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat. Onset of a rabies-like illness occurred 4–5 weeks following the incident, with death twenty days later. ABLV was identified from brain tissue by PCRPolymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....
and immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry or IHC refers to the process of detecting antigens in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues. IHC takes its name from the roots "immuno," in reference to antibodies used in the procedure, and...
.
In August 1996, a woman in Queensland was bitten on the finger by a flying fox while attempting to remove it from a child it had landed on. Six months later, following heightened public attention from the first ABLV death, she consulted a GP regarding testing for the virus. Post exposure treatment was advised but declined. After a 27 month incubation a rabies-like illness developed. The condition worsened after hospital admission and she died 19 days after the onset of illness.
The first day the woman was hospitalised "[c]erebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and saliva were submitted for testing". On the fourth day of her hospital admission these tests were returned with results of "probably ABL infection". Post-mortem tests were all "strongly positive" for ABL. The length of incubation is unusual as classical rabies has typical incubation periods of less than 90 days.
Rabies vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
and immunoglobulin are effective in prophylactic and therapeutic protection from ABLV infection. Since the emergence of the virus, rabies vaccine is administered to individuals with a heightened risk of exposure and vaccine and immunoglobulin are provided for post exposure treatment.
ABLV is one of four zoonotic viruses discovered in Pteropid bats since 1994, the others being Hendra virus, Nipah virus and Menangle virus
Menangle virus
Menangle virus is a virus that infects pigs, humans and bats.-History:Menangle virus was first identified in 1997 after a piggery in Menangle near Sydney, NSW, Australia experienced a high number of stillbirths and deformities during farrowing. Two workers at the piggery came down with an...
. Of these, ABLV is the only virus known to be transmissible to humans directly from bats without an intermediate host.
"Dr John Carnie [Victoria's Chief Health Officer] said Australian bat lyssavirus was a rare but fatal disease that could be transmitted to humans or pets bitten or scratched by bats. But he said only two cases have ever been recorded, both in Queensland. No animal or person in Victoria has ever contracted the disease, Dr Carnie said. Nine Victorian flying foxes have been found with the virus since 1996. "Under no circumstances should people handle flying foxes on their property as some diseases they carry, such as Australian bat lyssavirus, are transmissible to humans," Dr Carnie said in a statement. Only trained volunteers or workers should handle bats. Anyone who encounters a sick or injured flying fox should not try to catch it but call the DSE Customer Service Centre on 136 186."