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Ferret badger rabies in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Taiwan, China

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Abstract

Ferret badger (FB, Melogale moschata) rabies is an increasing public health threat to humans, with FBs being a major reservoir and vector of rabies in China. Based on 152 published nucleotide sequences of the FB rabies virus (RABV) nucleoprotein, phylogenetic analysis revealed them to be clustered into six FB-related lineages, FB-I to FB-VI. The genetic features of members of lineage FB-VI suggest that cross-species transmission occurs between FBs and dogs. Here, we describe the phylogenetic relationships between FB-RABVs, their geographic segregation, and their evolutionary dynamics in epizootic regions.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Project from the Jilin Health and Family Planning Commission (Approval no. 2013Z102).

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Correspondence to Jing-Hui Zhao, Li-Feng Zhao or Ji-Li Yang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Handling Editor: William G Dundon.

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Zhao, JH., Zhao, LF., Liu, F. et al. Ferret badger rabies in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Taiwan, China. Arch Virol 164, 579–584 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-4082-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-4082-5

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