CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL LYSSAVIRUS ISOLATED FROM PTEROPID BATS INAUSTRALIA

A novel lyssavirus isolated from Pteropid bats in Australia (Australia n Bat Lyssavirus, ABLV) has been characterised using gene sequence ana lyses, electron microscopy and a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Elect ron microscopic examination of Pteropid bat and mouse brain material a s well as virus isolated from tissue culture medium, showed the presen ce of bullet-shaped rhabdovirus particles and structures characteristi c of lyssavirus. Analysis using nucleocapsid (N) specific monoclonal a ntibodies, showed a strong relationship between this new lyssavirus an d serotype 1 rabies. The nucleotide sequence of the prototype strain o f ABLV was determined from the initiator methionine codon for the nucl eocapsid protein (N protein) to the amino terminus of the polymerase g ene (L protein), a distance of 5344 nucleotides. Comparisons of the de duced N, phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), and glycoprotein (G) proteins showed that ABLV was more closely related to serotype 1 class ic rabies viruses than to other members of the Lyssavirus genus. The p ercent relatedness of the ABLV proteins when compared to the cognate p roteins of PV (Pasteur vaccine strain) rabies was 92, 75, 87 and 75% f or the N, P, M and G proteins, respectively. Phylogenetic studies of N protein sequences showed clearly that ABLV is an unrecognised member of the Lyssavirus genus and represents a new genotype, genotype 7. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.