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Epidemiology of Rabies in Southeast Europe

Nicholas JohnsonRabies and Wildlife Zoonoses Group

WHO Collaborating Centre for the Characterization of Rabies and Rabies-Related Viruses

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Introduction

Rabies is endemic within many countries of south east Europe

The fox is the principal reservoir species but dog rabies cases still

reported

Few epidemiological studies reported from the region

Identify factors that contribute to epidemiology

Lack of knowledge hampers vaccination programmes

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Southeast Europe (the Balkans)

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The Balkan Peninsular

Turkey

Bulgaria

Romania

Bosnia andHerzegovina

UkraineCzech Republic

Greece

Poland

Russia

Slovakia

HungaryAustria

CroatiaSlovenia

Albania

Serbia

Mac

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Cohort Details

Country (Cases 2005) Fox Dog Jackal Human Other Not recorded

[Total]

Bosnia-Herzegovina (36) 10 3 4 17

Bulgaria (8) 5 2 2 1 2 12

Georgia 1 1

Serbia & Montenegro (101) 2 2

Hungary (9) 3 1 1 5

Poland (138) 2 2

Romania (530) 3 2 1 1 2 9

Russia (3087) 3 1 1 5

Slovak Republic (50) 1 1

Turkey (193) 7 9 4 1 21

75

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Isolate details

Code No. Country Region Species Year GenbankAccessionNumber

5 Bulgaria Lovech Fox 2003 DQ300293

1279 Romania Iolomita Fox ? -

RV1124 Turkey Manisa Fox 2000 AY091610

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Region of the Genome

327 nucleotides

TTATCGTGGATCAATATGAGTACAAGTACCCTGCCATCAAAGATTTGAAAAAGCCCTGTATAACTCTAGGAAAGGCTCCCGATTTAAATAAAGCATACAAGTCAGTTTTATCATGCATGAGCGCCGCCAAACTTGATCCTGACGATGTATGTTCCTATTTGGCGGCGGCAATGCAGTTTTTTGAGGGGACATGTCCGGAAGACTGGACCAGCTATGGAATCGTGATTGCACGAAAAGGAGATAAGATCACCCCAGGTTCTCTGGTGGAGATAAAACGTACTGATGTAGAAGGGAATTGGGCTCTGACAGGAGGCATGGAACTGACAAGAGACCCCAC

N P M G L

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Phylogenetic analysis of RABV sequences from Southeastern Europe

SAD B19

Pasteur

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Western Turkey

Romania / Russia

Romania

Bulgaria

Eastern Turkey

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Phylogenetic tree of Eastern European Isolates

Eastern Romania / Russia

Central Romania

Wave 1: Western TurkeyWestern Turkey

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Outgroup

Bulgaria

*

**

* *

*

*

** *

**

**

*

*

**0.01 substitutions / site

* Bootstrap values > 700

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Romania

Romania / Russia

Romania / Poland

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Bulgaria

TargovishteDobrich

Lovech

MontanaPlevenLovech

Former YugoslaviaVidin

Montana

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Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Hungary

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Conclusions

Most isolates fall into the East European group of viruses

Geography dominates isolate clustering

Topography may play a significant role in preventing spread of fox-rabies

The Danube appears to block movement between Romania and Bulgaria

Such factors could assist in future vaccination campaigns

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AcknowledgementsCo-Authors

Veterinary Laboratories Agency (UK) AR Fooks

FLI-Wusterhausen (Germany) T Muller, C Freuling

IDT (Germany) A Vos

Etlik CVRI (Turkey) O Aylan

H Un

Natl. Diag. & Res Vet Inst (Bulgaria) R Valtchovski

Inst. Diag. & Animal Health (Romania) M Turcitu

F Dumistrescu

V Vlad

Univ. Sarajevo (Bosnia-Hervegovina) R Velic

Vet. Inst. Of Republika of Srpska V SandracFundingDefra (UK)