Surveillance Rage internationale....

Salut à tous,

je reçois régulièrement des infos sur la rage de part le monde....je me propose de vous faire part ici des cas chez nos amis chiroptères.

Et pour commencer...

Citation :

1st case of bat rabies in Finland
---------------------------------
The Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira) received a bat (Daubenton's
bat, _Myotis daubentoni_) for laboratory analyses. The bat had bitten
a researcher and his assistant several times earlier that day.
Laboratory analyses conducted during the 15, 16 and 17 Aug 2009,
confirmed that the bat had clinical rabies. The virus was identified
as European Bat Lyssavirus 2 (EBLV-2) by RT-PCR. Also cell culture is
positive. More precise typing is ongoing.

The bat originated from Turku (Abo) in south western Finland. This is
the 1st case of bat rabies in Finland. The researcher and his
assistant had been vaccinated against rabies. However, preventive
[post-exposure] medication was started on Fri 14 Aug 2009. Evira has
issued a press release concerning the case.

--
Communicated by:
Riitta Rahkonen
Government Counsellor, PhD
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Department of Food and Health
PO Box 30, FI-00023 Government
Finland

Citation :

AUSTRALIAN BAT LYSSAVIRUS - AUSTRALIA: (QUEENSLAND) FLYING FOX, HUMAN EXPOSURE
***************************************************************************

Three Queensland holidaymakers face an anguished wait for medical
results after being bitten by a fruit bat sent mad by the deadly
lyssavirus [that is, a member of the virus species _Australian bat
lyssavirus_]. The unlucky men were attacked separately by the same
infected little red flying fox while sightseeing near Town of 1770 on
the state's central coast on Tuesday [5 Jan 2010]. The animal was
caught and killed by one of them.

Laboratory tests yesterday [6 Jan 2010] confirmed that it had been
carrying lyssavirus. The only 2 known human cases of the Australian
strain of the bat-borne disease resulted in the deaths of both
victims in 1996 and 1998 respectively, also in Queensland.

Doctors say prompt treatment with the rabies vaccine, which the men
will now receive, has since proved totally effective. The [bat
lyssavirus] is closely related to the rabies virus, and [infection]
is fatal if untreated. The bat lyssavirus was identified only after
the death 13 years ago of a 39-year-old Rockhampton woman, an animal
lover who had become a volunteer carer for flying foxes. The 2nd
known victim of Australian bat lyssavirus [infection] died in 1998.
She had reportedly been bitten while protecting a child from an
attacking bat at a party in Mackay, in Queensland's north.

None of the 3 men attacked on Tuesday [5 Jan 2010] knew the others
before the infected bat swooped. They had been walking on a boardwalk
through the popular Joseph Banks Conservation Park near Town of 1770,
500 km [310 mi] north of Brisbane. The flying fox was seen to be
"displaying unusual behaviour" in a tree about 10 m [33 ft] off the
path. It launched itself at the men and, in repeated attacks, bit
them variously on the head, ears, and fingers. The 3rd man to be
struck caught and killed the animal, before handing it over to
concerned park rangers, who had it tested for lyssavirus. The results
came back yesterday [6 Jan 2010], confirming fears that the bat's
aggressive behaviour had been caused by the rabies-related virus.

Acting Queensland chief health officer Christine Selvey said there
was still a risk the men could be infected. "However, we have a very,
very highly effective prevention regime and these people will be
getting that as soon as can be arranged," Dr Selvey said. They had
returned to their homes in Ipswich, west of Brisbane; Hervey Bay,
north of the capital; and Agnes Waters, in central Queensland.

Queensland Health logged 77 reports of people being bitten or
scratched by flying foxes or bats last year [2009], most of whom
received successful prophylactic treatment for lyssavirus. Of the 28
animals caught and tested, 5 had lyssavirus. Up to a sixth of bats
and flying foxes in Queensland are thought to be infected.
Biosecurity Queensland principal veterinary scientist Janine Barrett
said the behaviour of the infected bat on Tuesday [5 Jan 2010] was
characteristic of lyssavirus. "It is highly unusual for bats to
approach people," she said. "It is also unusual that it was out at
the day time away from a roosting site."

While the rabies vaccine works against lyssavirus, it has no effect
on another deadly bat-borne disease, Hendra virus, which has killed 4
of the 7 people known to have contracted it in Queensland.

Citation :

RABIES, HUMAN, VAMPIRE BATS - PERU: (CONDORCANQUI), SUSPECTED
***********************************************

Date: Wed 6 Jan 2010
Source: Living in Peru [edited]
<http://www.livinginperu.com/news/11117>


Health Authorities in Amazonas reported today [6 Jan 2010] that 7
children have died in the district of Nieva, presumably of a
bat-related rabies outbreak. The disease has been found in several
specimens of bats that live in the area, and all the victims showed
the typical symptoms of rabies. However, the doctors have not been
able to perform any autopsy to confirm the cause of these deaths due
to cultural issues, since the natives consider that would be an insult.

Elias Bohorquez Medina, Amazonas Health Director, explained that
Nieva, located in the province of Condorcanqui, is the home of Awajun
and Wampis indigenous peoples, but also has many species of bats.

Bohorquez explained that the apus (chief tribe leaders) are
convincing their people to allow vaccination to prevent the disease.

[Byline: Isabel Guerra]

[If these were really human rabies cases, as seems likely, the bat
species probably involved in these suspected rabies cases is the
vampire _Desmodus rotundus_. This bat is common in the lowland
American tropics and a well-known rabies vector. Although _D.
rotundus_ prefers to feed on cattle and horses, it will attack humans
when preferred mammalian hosts are not available. There is a history
in Amazonian Peru of recent vampire bat attacks and human rabies
cases from hematophagous bat bites. Between July 2006 and 15 Feb
2007, health networks of Mazuko (Madre de Dios), San Gaban (Puno),
and Huepetuhe (Madre de Dios) reported 27, 370, and 130 cases of
vampire bat bites respectively, for a total of 527 people bitten.
More than 20 persons have died from rabies transmitted by the bite of
hematophagous bats in Puno and Madre de Dios .

An image of the common vampire bat _Desmodus rotundus_ can be accessed at
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/common-vampire-bat.html>.
A map showing the location of Condorcanqui province in northern Peru
on the western edge of the Amazon Basin can be accessed at
<http://www.maplandia.com/peru/amazonas/condorcanqui/>.

RAGE AU TEXAS.....

Citation :

RABIES, WILDLIFE - USA (05): (TEXAS) BAT, CANINE EXPOSURE
*********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sun 14 Mar 2010
Source: Natural Unseen Hazards, Wordpress.com [edited]
<http://naturalunseenhazards.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/rabies-reports-from-michigan-and-texas/>


Beeville's Senior Animal Control Officer Johnny Carabajal is
encouraging pet owners to have their animals vaccinated against rabies
after the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported 3
cases of the disease last month [February 2010] in South Texas.

A report released by the DSHS showed that the deadly disease had been
confirmed in 3 free tailed bats. The closest case to Bee County was
reported in northern Nueces County near the San Patricio County border.

"One rabid bat was reported from Zapata County and a currently
vaccinated dog received a booster rabies vaccination and is being
confined at home for 45 days due to exposure to this bat," the report
said.

"The 2nd rabid bat was found on the ground behind a business complex
in Nueces County and there was no reported contact with that bat."

The 3rd bat was found in bat exclusion netting at a Webb County
school, where bat exclusion techniques were implemented after 2 rabid
bats were discovered there in January [2010]. There has been no
reported contact with any of the bats found at the school."
A photo of a free-tailed bat may be seen at
<http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/wildlife-facts/2007/wildlife-facts_images_2007/2-brazilian_free-tailed_bat.jpg>.

While the Mexican free-tailed bats consume a huge number of insects,
they nevertheless can be infected with rabies. The Brazilian
free-tailed bat, also called Mexican free-tailed bat, (_Tadarida
brasiliensis_) is so named because it possesses a tail free and
protruding beyond the uropatagium (hind membrane). The Brazilian
free-tailed bat has short and velvety dark brown fur on the back, and
lighter fur on the belly. Its lips are furrowed by vertical grooves,
it has 38 teeth, and the nostrils are surrounded by elevated skin. Its
narrow, pointed wings permit fast flight. The toes of the hind feet
have strong, recurved bristles, which are used to groom the fur. Size:
Adults may attain a total length 90-108 mm (3.5-4 in); tail 10-40 mm
(0.4-1.5 in); hind foot 8-11 mm (0.3-0.4 in); ear 13-19 mm (0.5-0.7
in); weight 8-14 grams (0.3-0.5 oz). This is one of North America's
smaller bats, and is often mistaken for a baby bat by amateurs. It has
a distinctive musky smell, which many people can easily detect when
they are near an active colony.

Texas only flying mammals live in caves in the southern US, Central,
and South America. Their colonies are the largest congregations of
mammals in the world. The largest colony found in (near San Antonio)
has nearly 20 million bats, which eat around 250 tons of insects per
night! Flights may travel hundreds of miles and fly to an altitude of
3000 meters (approx 10 000 ft) to feed on insects at night.

The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is
home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony is
estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each night from
mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk
to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has
become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in
Texas. The most spectacular bat flights are during hot, dry August
nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge. There are several points
from which to view the event, and an information kiosk is located on
the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge.

RAGE EN SUEDE

Citation :

RABIES (EBLV), DAUBENTON'S BAT - SWEDEN: (SKANE) OIE
***********************************************

Rabies, Sweden
---------
Information received on 12 Mar 2010 from Mr Leif Denneberg, CVO,
Director and Head of Department, Department for Animal Production and
Health, Swedish Board of Agriculture, JONKOPING, Sweden

Summary
Report type: Immediate notification
Start date 11 Mar 2010
Date of 1st confirmation of the event 11 Mar 2010
Report date 12 Mar 2010
Date submitted to OIE 12 Mar 2010
Reason for notification: New strain of a listed disease
Manifestation of disease: Sub-clinical infection
Causal agent: European bat lyssavirus
Serotype: Not typed
Nature of diagnosis: Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to the whole country

New outbreaks
Outbreak 1 Ellinge, Ellinge, Lund, SKANE LAN
Date of start of the outbreak 11 Mar 2010
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: Not applicable
Species Wild species
Susceptible
Cases 2
Deaths 0
Destroyed 0
Slaughtered 0
Affected Population Clinically healthy Daubenton's bats (_Myotis
daubentoni_) were sampled within an active surveillance programme.

Outbreak 2 Svenstorp, Svenstorp, Tomelilla, SKANE LAN
Date of start of the outbreak 11 Mar 2010
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: Not applicable
Species: Wild species
Susceptible
Cases 5
Deaths 0
Destroyed 0
Slaughtered 0
Affected Population: Clinically healthy Daubenton's bats (_Myotis
daubentoni_) were sampled within an active surveillance programme.
Outbreak 3 Stockamollan, Stockamollan, Hoor, SKANE LAN
Date of start of the outbreak 11 Mar 2010
Outbreak status: Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit: Not applicable
Species Wild species
Susceptible
Cases 1
Deaths 0
Destroyed 0
Slaughtered 0
Affected Population: Clinically healthy Daubenton's bats (_Myotis
daubentoni_) were sampled within an active surveillance programme.

Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 3
Total animals affected
Species Wild species
Susceptible
Cases 8
Deaths 0
Destroyed 0

Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection Unknown or inconclusive.
Epidemiological comments The 8 European bat lyssavirus antibody
positive Daubenton's bats (_Myotis daubentoni_) were all negative on
PCR. The surveillance programme on healthy live bats will continue in
other parts of Sweden as well as investigations on dead bats.

Note by the OIE Animal Health Information Department: According to
Article 8.10.2. of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2009
edition), the free status of a country is not affected by the
isolation of Bat Lyssavirus.

Laboratory name and type: National Veterinary Institute (National laboratory)
Species Wild species
Test fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN)
Test date 11 Mar 2010
Result Positive