high-resolution-3d-imaging-rabies-virus-infection-solvent-cleared

High-Resolution 3D Imaging of Rabies Virus Infection in Solvent-Cleared Brain Tissue

The visualization of infection processes in tissues and organs by immunolabeling is a key method in modern infection biology. The ability to observe and ...

Federal Research Institute for Animal Health

Methods to recover recombinant negative strand RNA viruses (rNSVs) from cloned cDNAs have been significantly improved in more than two decades of NSV reverse genetics . In particular, for non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses (NNSVs ) like rhabdoviruses , time-consuming generation of reverse genetics systems by stitching PCR subfragments of genomic rhabdovirus cDNAs using ligase-based conventional cloning approaches limited the number of available recombinant virus cDNA clones. As genetic variability is considered an intrinsic feature of RNA viruses, it is thus reasonable to conclude that reverse genetics approaches to investigate natural virus functions and pathogenesis require improved systems that reflect the complexity of naturally occurring wild-type viruses, and that largely exclude adaption to cell culture conditions.In order to allow rapid cloning of wild-type NSV genome populations into reverse genetics vector plasmids, we developed a system in which cDNA copies of complete rhabdovirus populations are inserted into a plasmid bank by linear-to-linear homologous RecE/T recombination (LLHR ). Limited requirements for sequence information a priori, high cloning efficiencies, and the possibility to directly generate recombinant viruses from individual cDNA clones now offer novel opportunities to combine forward genetic dissection of natural rhabdovirus populations and downstream reverse genetics approaches.

Rapid Reverse Genetics Systems for Rhabdoviruses: From Forward to Reverse and Back Again.

Bat-acquired rabies is becoming increasingly common, and its diagnosis could be missed partly because its clinical presentation differs from that of dog-acquired rabies. We reviewed the scientific literature to compare the pathogenesis of rabies in bats and carnivores-including dogs-and related this pathogenesis to differences in the clinical presentation of bat-acquired and dog-acquired rabies in human beings. For bat-acquired rabies, we found that the histological site of exposure is usually limited to the skin, the anatomical site of exposure is more commonly the face, and the virus might be more adapted for entry via the skin than for dog-acquired rabies. These factors could help to explain several differences in clinical presentation between individuals with bat-acquired and those with dog-acquired rabies. A better understanding of these differences should improve the recording of a patient's history, enable drawing up of a more sophisticated list of clinical characteristics, and therefore obtain an earlier diagnosis of rabies after contact with a bat or carnivore that has rabies.

Comparative pathogenesis of rabies in bats and carnivores, and implications for spillover to humans.

Rabies is a life-threatening neglected tropical disease: tens of thousands of cases are reported annually in endemic countries (mainly in Africa and Asia), although the actual numbers are most likely underestimated. Rabies is a zoonotic disease that is caused by infection with viruses of the Lyssavirus genus, which are transmitted via the saliva of an infected animal. Dogs are the most important reservoir for rabies viruses, and dog bites account for >99% of human cases. The virus first infects peripheral motor neurons, and symptoms occur after the virus reaches the central nervous system. Once clinical disease develops, it is almost certainly fatal. Primary prevention involves dog vaccination campaigns to reduce the virus reservoir. If exposure occurs, timely post-exposure prophylaxis can prevent the progression to clinical disease and involves appropriate wound care, the administration of rabies immunoglobulin and vaccination. A multifaceted approach for human rabies eradication that involves government support, disease awareness, vaccination of at-risk human populations and, most importantly, dog rabies control is necessary to achieve the WHO goal of reducing the number of cases of dog-mediated human rabies to zero by 2030.

Article	Year
Rapid Reverse Genetics Systems for Rhabdoviruses: From Forward to Reverse and Back Again. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)\| PubMed ID: 28508221	2017
Comparative pathogenesis of rabies in bats and carnivores, and implications for spillover to humans. The Lancet. Infectious diseases\| PubMed ID: 29100899	2018
Rabies. Nature reviews. Disease primers\| PubMed ID: 29188797	2017

Stefan Finke

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