Article: Identification of new rabies virus variant in Mexican immigrant.(DISPATCHES)

Rabies is an acute, progressive, fatal encephalitis caused by viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. Globally, 11 major genotypes have been identified as etiologic agents of this zoonosis (1). Rabies virus (RV), the type species, is the most widespread and epidemiologically important member of the genus and the only taxon documented in the New World. Major mammalian reservoirs reside in the orders Carnivora and Chiroptera. Several specific RV variants have been characterized from different mammalian hosts, such as dogs, foxes, mongooses, and other carnivores, and bats. Within North America, distinct RV variants have been associated with rabid wildlife, ...