First isolation of a rabies-related virus from a Daubenton's bat in the United Kingdom

On May 30, 1996, a sick Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) was recovered from the cellar of a public house in Newhaven, East Sussex. Its condition d eteriorated rapidly, and it was euthanased and examined. Positive results, establishing the presence of a rabies or rabies-related virus in its brain, were obtained from the fluorescent antibody test, the rabies tissue cultur e isolation test, and a hemi-nested reverse-transcription PCR. The complete sequence of the nucleoprotein gene was determined and a phylogenetic analy sis, based on the 470 nucleotide bases of the amino terminus of the nucleop rotein, established the genotype of the virus as European bat lyssavirus 2. Bat rabies had not previously been recorded in the UK but does occur in ma inland Europe. A study of the back-trajectories of the wind on May 29 and 3 0, established that the infected bat possibly came from near the France-Swi ss border.