Barcoding of South African bat species and evaluation of their natural exposure to lyssaviruses

Abstract

The genus Lyssavirus, currently consisting of 12 confirmed and two putative species, all of which are capable of producing the lethal encephalitic disease known as rabies. Due to the long history and common knowledge of the prototype virus, rabies virus the other members of this genus, which have only been discovered since the 1960’s, are commonly referred to as the rabies-related viruses. Rabies virus is largely maintained throughout the world by on-going viral cycles within non-volant carnivores, whilst the rabies-related members are typically associated with chiropteran populations.