Detection and molecular characterization of rabies virus in Mongolia during 2008-2010

Research Article

International Journal of One Health, 1: 26-31

https://doi.org/10.14202/IJOH.2015.26-31

Bumduuren Tuvshintulga¹, Enkhbaatar Batmagnai¹, Enkhbold Bazarragchaa², Purevtseren Dulam², Sengee Sugar², and Badgar Battsetseg¹

1. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian, University of Life Science, Zaisan, 17024 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
2. State Central Veterinary Laboratory, Zaisan, 17024 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Background and Aim: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characterization of rabies virus (RABV) from wild and domestic animals in Mongolia during 2008-2010.

Materials and Methods: Brain tissue samples were collected from 24 rabid animals in Zavkhan, Omnogovi, Tov, Dundgovi, Govi-Altai, Selenge, Ovorkhangai, and Khentii provinces in Mongolia. Herein, samples were included from 13 domestic animals (dogs, cattle, camels, sheep, and goat) and 11 wild animals (wolves and foxes) in this study. Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed for detection of RABV, and positive samples were further processed for molecular characterization of the virus using nucleoprotein gene. Subsequently, the molecular characterization was determined based on the nucleoprotein gene.

Results: Out of 24 samples, 22 samples were detected positive for RABV by DFA test, and its nucleoprotein gene was amplified in all of the 24 samples by RT-PCR. These Mongolian RABVs were classified within steppe-type virus clade by phylogenetic analysis of nucleoprotein gene sequences. This steppe-type virus clade was clearly divided by two Sub-clades (A and B). The most of Mongolian RABVs belongs to the Sub-clade A in the phylogenetic tree.

Conclusion: These findings have clearly confirmed RABV in domestic and wild animals of Mongolia. Further molecular characterization indicated that this Mongolian strain is steppe-type virus clade consisting of two sub-clades; the Subclade A might be prevalent in Altai, Khangai, Khentii Mountains as a major genotype, whereas the Subclade B seems to be cosmopolitan in the steppe-type virus clade, is spread in northern central Eurasia. Keywords: detection, molecular characterization, Mongolia, rabies virus, sub-clade A, subclade B.

Keywords: detection, molecular characterization, Mongolia, rabies virus, sub-clade A, subclade B.

How to cite this article: Tuvshintulga B, Batmagnai E, Bazarragchaa E, Dulam P, Sugar S, Battsetseg B. Detection and molecular characterization of rabies virus in Mongolia during 2008-2010. Int J One Health 2015;1:26-31.

Received: 29-07-2015 Accepted: 08-09-2015 Published online: 27-09-2015

Corresponding author: Badgar Battsetseg E-mail: Bata07@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2015.26-31

Copyright: Tuvshintulga, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.