Dataset Information

Rabies virus-neutralising antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals: What do they mean for rabies epidemiology?

ABSTRACT: Rabies has been a widely feared disease for thousands of years, with records of rabid dogs as early as ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts. The reputation of rabies as being inevitably fatal, together with its ability to affect all mammalian species, contributes to the fear surrounding this disease. However, the widely held view that exposure to the rabies virus is always fatal has been repeatedly challenged. Although survival following clinical infection in humans has only been recorded on a handful of occasions, a number of studies have reported detection of rabies-specific antibodies in the sera of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife that are apparently healthy and unvaccinated. These 'seropositive' individuals provide possible evidence of exposure to the rabies virus that has not led to fatal disease. However, the variability in methods of detecting these antibodies and the difficulties of interpreting serology tests have contributed to an unclear picture of their importance. In this review, we consider the evidence for rabies-specific antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals as indicators of nonlethal rabies exposure and the potential implications of this for rabies epidemiology. Our findings indicate that whilst there is substantial evidence that nonlethal rabies exposure does occur, serology studies that do not use appropriate controls and cutoffs are unlikely to provide an accurate estimate of the true prevalence of nonlethal rabies exposure.

SUBMITTER: Gold S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7017994 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Rabies virus-neutralising antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals: What do they mean for rabies epidemiology?

Gold Susannah S Donnelly Christl A CA Nouvellet Pierre P Woodroffe Rosie R

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20200213 2

Rabies has been a widely feared disease for thousands of years, with records of rabid dogs as early as ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts. The reputation of rabies as being inevitably fatal, together with its ability to affect all mammalian species, contributes to the fear surrounding this disease. However, the widely held view that exposure to the rabies virus is always fatal has been repeatedly challenged. Although survival following clinical infection in humans has only been recorded on ...[more]

PMID: 32053628

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundRabies is a vaccine-preventable neglected tropical viral zoonosis. It occurs worldwide, creating a very heavy burden in many developing countries, including Nepal. Dogs are the principle vector for the transmission of this disease in urban areas. Vaccination is the most important preventive measure in areas where dogs are the principle source of infection. This study was conducted with the aim of detecting virus-neutralising antibodies and associated factors against rabies in vaccinated household dogs of Kathmandu valley.MethodsBlood samples were collected from 110 vaccinated pet dogs in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur districts of Nepal. The samples were taken to the laboratory of the National Zoonosis and Food Hygiene Research Center where serum was separated. An indirect immune-enzymatic assay (PlateliaTM Rabies II kit ad usum Veterinarium, Biorad, China) was used for the detection of rabies virus anti-glycoprotein antibodies in the dog serum samples following the manufacturer's recommendations and instructions. Optical density values for unknown samples were compared with the positive sera titers in quantification tests obtained after a direct reading on the standard curve. Results were expressed as equivalent units per ml (EU/ml).FindingsOf the total samples, 89.09% exceeded the required seroconversion level (? 0.5 EU/ml); another 9.09% did not reach the seroconversion level (0.125-0.5 EU/ml); and 1.81% had undetectable seroconversion levels (<0.125 EU/ml) suggesting that the animal had not seroconverted according to the PLATELIA™ RABIES II test. Only one factor, the condition under which the dog was kept, was significantly associated with the antibody titer level. No association was found for any of the other factors included in the study.InterpretationVaccination is the most effective measure for prevention and control of rabies. The locally manufactured brand of vaccine, which is available in Nepal, is potent enough to generate a sufficient amount of protective antibodies, equal to international brands.

Project description:BackgroundAnimal control measures in Latin America have decreased the incidence of urban human rabies transmitted by dogs and cats; currently most cases of human rabies are transmitted by bats. In 2004-2005, rabies outbreaks in populations living in rural Brazil prompted widespread vaccination of exposed and at-risk populations. More than 3,500 inhabitants of Augusto Correa (Pará State) received either post-exposure (PEP) or pre-exposure (PrEP) prophylaxis. This study evaluated the persistence of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) annually for 4 years post-vaccination. The aim was to evaluate the impact of rabies PrEP and PEP in a population at risk living in a rural setting to help improve management of vampire bat exposure and provide additional data on the need for booster vaccination against rabies.Methodology/principal findingsThis prospective study was conducted in 2007 through 2009 in a population previously vaccinated in 2005; study participants were followed-up annually. An RVNA titer >0.5 International Units (IU)/mL was chosen as the threshold of seroconversion. Participants with titers ≤0.5 IU/mL or Equivalent Units (EU)/mL at enrollment or at subsequent annual visits received booster doses of purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV). Adherence of the participants from this Amazonian community to the study protocol was excellent, with 428 of the 509 (84%) who attended the first interview in 2007 returning for the final visit in 2009. The long-term RVNA persistence was good, with 85-88.0% of the non-boosted participants evaluated at each yearly follow-up visit remaining seroconverted. Similar RVNA persistence profiles were observed in participants originally given PEP or PrEP in 2005, and the GMT of the study population remained >1 IU/mL 4 years after vaccination. At the end of the study, 51 subjects (11.9% of the interviewed population) had received at least one dose of booster since their vaccination in 2005.Conclusions/significanceThis study and the events preceding it underscore the need for the health authorities in rabies enzootic countries to decide on the best strategies and timing for the introduction of routine rabies PrEP vaccination in affected areas.

Project description:Rabies is widespread throughout Africa and Asia, despite the fact that the control and elimination of this disease has been proven to be feasible. Lesotho, a small landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, has been known to be endemic for rabies since the 1980s but the epidemiology of the disease remains poorly understood due to limited sample submission, constrained diagnostic capabilities, and a lack of molecular epidemiological data. Considering the existing challenges experienced in Lesotho, we aimed to evaluate the direct, rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) as an alternative to the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test for rabies diagnosis in Lesotho. Towards this aim, extensive training on the implementation and interpretation of the DRIT was hosted in Lesotho in April 2016 before both tests were applied to all samples subjected to routine rabies diagnosis at the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL). We found agreement between the DFA and DRIT assays in 90/96 samples (93.75%). The samples that produced inconsistent results (n = 6) were re-tested a further two times with both assays before being subjected to a real-time qPCR to confirm the diagnosis. Additionally, a statistically significant three-fold increase in the average number of samples submitted per month was observed after the DRIT implementation started, following continuous rabies awareness initiatives amongst the animal health professionals in the country over a 12-month period (p = 0.0279). Partial G-L intergenic regions of selected rabies-positive samples (n = 21) were amplified, sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic analyses. Molecular epidemiological analyses, that included viruses from neighbouring provinces in South Africa, suggested that at least three independent rabies cycles within Lesotho were implicated in instances of cross-border transmission. This study has evaluated alternative methods for diagnosing and improving rabies surveillance in Lesotho, as well as providing new information that would be of importance in the planning of future disease intervention campaigns, not only in Lesotho, but also in neighbouring South Africa.

Dataset Information

Rabies virus-neutralising antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals: What do they mean for rabies epidemiology?

Publications

Rabies virus-neutralising antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated individuals: What do they mean for rabies epidemiology?

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets