Lyssavirus

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Negatively stained Rhabdovirus as seen through an electron microscope. When viewed with an electron microscope Rhabdoviruses are seen as bullet-shaped particles. (A): Notice the bullet shape of the virus. (B): See the "bee hive" like striations of the RNP (ribonucleoprotein). (C): Notice the glycoprotein spikes in the outer membrane bilayer. Courtesy of Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Pathogen and Classification

Rabies viruses belong to the Rhabdoviridae family, a constituent of the order Mononegavirales in which the viruses are characterized by a non-segmented negative-sense genome. The family is divided into two serologically distinct genera, Vesiculovirus and Lyssavirus. The Lyssavirus genus includes seven genotypes: rabies virus (RABV, genotype 1), Lagos bat virus (genotype 2), Mokola virus (genotype 3), Duvenhage virus (genotype 4), European bat lyssavirus 1 (EBLV-1, genotype 5), European bat lyssavirus 2 (EBLV-2, genotype 6), and Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV, genotype 7). In addition to the rabies virus (RABV, genotype 1), Mokola virus (genotype 3), Duvenhage virus (genotype 4) , European bat lyssavirus 1 (genotype 5), European bat lyssavirus 2 (genotype 6), and Australian bat lyssavirus (genotype 7) have been associated with cases of human rabies. Genotypes 2 - 4 have a wide geographical distribution in Africa, while genotypes 5 and 6 have a western and eastern Europe distribution, respectively.

For references and expanded Lyssavirus Information, please refer to the full PathInfo Document.