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Although rabies is distributed globally, it is especially prevalent in developing countries in Asia and Africa. China has the second highest number of deaths caused by rabies, exceeded only by [...]

Rabies has been endemic to the People's Republic of China for many years; domestic dogs act as the main reservoir (1-3). After efforts to stabilize the dog population, the lowest [...]

Abstract Background The epidemic of rabies showed a rising trend in China in recent years. To identify the potential factors involved in the emergence, we investigated and analyzed the status and characteristics of human rabies between 1996 and 2008. Moreover, the status of rabies infection and vaccination in dogs, and prophylaxis of humans after rabies exposure were analyzed. Methods Human rabies data in China between 1996 and 2008 collected from the annual reports of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) were analyzed. To investigate the status of dogs and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) of humans, brain specimens of domestic dogs were collected and detected, and the demographic details, exposure status and PEP of rabies patients were obtained in 2005 and 2006 in Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou provinces. Results The results showed 19,806 human rabies cases were reported in China from 1996 to 2008, with an average of 1,524 cases each year, and the incidence almost was rising rapidly, with the peak in 2007 (3,300 cases). It was notable that nearly 50% of the total rabies cases nationwide were reported in Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou provinces. In these three provinces, the rabies infection rate in dogs was 2.3%, and 60% investigated cities had a dog vaccination rate of below 70%; among the 315 recorded human cases, 66.3% did not receive any PEP at all, 27.6% received inadequate PEP, and only 6.0% received a full regime of PEP. Conclusions In recent years, rabies is reemerging and becoming a major public-health problem in China. Our analysis showed that unsuccessful control of dog rabies and inadequate PEP of patients were the main factors leading to the high incidence of human rabies in China, then there are following suggestions: (1) Strict control of free-ranging dogs and mandatory rabies vaccination should be enforced. (2)Establishing national animal rabies surveillance network is imperative. (3) PEP should be decided to initiate or withhold according to postmortem diagnosis of the biting animal. (4) The cost of PEP should be decreased or free, especially in rural areas. (5)Education of the public and health care staff should be enhanced.

This study assesses the causes and prevention measures of rabies through epidemiological investigation and analysis. A field epidemiological survey was conducted to investigate a case of rabies by fox bite. The onset of symptoms began 50 days after the bite. The patient did not receive standard treatment, rabies vaccination, or rabies immunoglobulin injection. The fox was killed on the spot. Saliva and pre-death blood samples were collected at different periods, and only blood RT-PCR tests yielded positive results. Wild fox bite is a major risk factor of rabies infection in Xinjiang Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To learn the rabies genome molecular characteristics and compare the difference of China rabies lineages. Methods The complete genomes of 12 strains from different China rabies lineages were amplified and sequenced, and all the China street strain genomes (total 43), Arctic and Arctic-like genomes were aligned using ClustalX2, the genome homologies were analyzed using MegAlign software, and the phylogenetic trees were constructed by MEGA 5. Results First Arctic-like rabies genome in China (CQH1202D) was reported, and we supplemented the rabies genome data of China, ensuring at least one genome was available in each China lineage. The genome size of China V (11908nt) is obviously shorter than other lineages' (11923-11925nt) for the difference of N-P non-coding regions. Among different lineages, the genome homologies are almost under 90%. CQH1202D (China IV lineage) has close relationship with strains from South Korea and they share about 95% genome similarities. Conclusion The molecular characteristics of 6 different China rabies lineages were compared and analyzed from genome level, which benefits for continued comprehensive rabies surveillance, rabies prevention and control in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza A virus, which is absent from the viral particle, but highly expressed in infected cells, strongly antagonizes the interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral response. We engineered an NS1-expressing 293 (293-NS1) cell line with no response to IFN stimulation. Compared with the parental 293 cells, the IFN-nonresponsive 293-NS1 cells improved the growth capacity of various viruses, but the introduction of NS1 barely enhanced the propagation of Tahyna virus, a negative-strand RNA virus. In particular, fastidious enteric adenovirus that replicates poorly in 293 cells may grow more efficiently in 293-NS1 cells; thus, IFN-nonresponsive 293-NS1 cells might be of great value in diagnostic laboratories for the cultivation and isolation of human enteric adenoviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) has proved to be the most important measure for rabies prevention and control. There is little information regarding adverse reactions to the Essen and 2-1-1 regimens in preschool children (aged 0-6). We reexamined the outcomes of 1,109 preschool children who were vaccinated using SPEEDA under the Essen regimen between January 2011 and December 2012 and 1,267 preschool children under the 2-1-1 regimen between January 2013 and December 2014. We find that, in preschool children, the febrile reaction after the first 2-dose injection in the 2-1-1 regimen was significantly higher than that induced by the first 1-dose in the Essen procedure. Thus, we recommend that the Essen regimen should still be used for rabies PEP in preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To characterize two strains of street rabies virus (RABV) isolated from the brain tissue of cattle from Inner Mongolia. Differences in the histopathological and ultrastructural changes in the brain tissue of infected mice were determined to reveal variation in the pathogenesis of infection between street rabies virus strains. Methods Ten-day-old mice were intracranially inoculated with one of three virus strains and brain tissue harvested when the mice were moribund. Various histopathological and ultrastructural markers of disease were then compared between the groups. Results Infection with the street virus strain CNM1101C resulted in severe neuronal dendrites damage, but only mild cell apoptosis, T lymphocyte infiltration and microglial activation. Infection with the other street virus strain, CNM1103C, was characterized by cell apoptosis, T lymphocyte infiltration and microglial activation as well as dendrites damage. However, in comparison, infection with the attenuated virus strain CTN caused severe T lymphocyte infiltration, microglial activation and cell apoptosis, but left the neuronal dendrites intact. Conclusion The two street rabies virus strains isolated from cattle from Inner Mongolia had different levels of virulence and caused distinct pathological changes in infected mice. Therefore, we concluded that different pathogenic mechanisms exist between different RABV strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To perform pathological observation and etiological identification of specimens collected from dairy cows, beef cattle and dogs which were suspected of rabies in Inner Mongolia in 2011, and analyze their etiological characteristics. Methods: Pathological observation was conducted on the brain specimens of three infected animals with Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, followed by confirmation using immunofluorescence and nested RT-PCR methods. Finally, phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the virus N gene sequence amplified from three specimens. Results: Eosinophilic and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies were seen in neuronal cells of the CNS; and rabies non-characteristic histopathological changes were also detected in the CNS. The three brain specimens were detected positive. N gene nucleotide sequence of these three isolates showed distinct sequence identity, therefore they fell into different groups in the phylogenetic analysis. N gene in the cow and dog had higher homology with that in Hebei isolate, but that in the beef cattle had higher homology with that in Mongolian lupine isolate and Russian red fox isolate. Conclusion: Rabies were observed in the dairy cow, beef cattle and canine in the farm in Inner Mongolia, in 2011, which led to a different etiologic characteristics of the epidemic situation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aimed to investigate the clinical features, distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Nocardia species isolated from pulmonary nocardiosis cases in a tertiary hospital in China. The species were collected from January 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, and identified using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry or polymerase chain reaction. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method. Within the 44 Nocardia species, N. farcinica was the most frequently identified species (n = 36), followed by N. nova (n = 5), N. otitidiscaviarum (n = 1), N. cyriacigeorgica (n = 1), and N. transvalensis (n = 1). The top 3 predisposing factors of pulmonary nocardiosis were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (45.5%), hypertension (34.1%), and tuberculosis (31.8%). All 44 Nocardia species were susceptible to amikacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and linezolid. The resistance rates of Nocardia to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, ceftriaxone, tobramycin, and imipenem were 4.5%, 9.1%, 79.5%, 72.7%, 63.6%, and 38.6%, respectively. Two Nocardia strains had decreased sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. In conclusion, N. farcinica was the most frequently isolated Nocardia species in the First Hospital of Changsha. All the isolated clinical Nocardia species showed susceptibility to amikacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and linezolid, suggesting that these drugs can be primary therapeutic choices for treating Nocardia infections.

A molecular cytogenetic investigation was conducted on plants of the allohexaploid species Elymus nutans with varying fertility on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Molecular karyotyping revealed that chromosome variants were distributed unevenly among genomes and among different homologue chromosomes in each genome. The plants with varying fertility exhibited significantly higher numbers of chromosome variants than did the normal fertility samples, although both kinds of plants showed the same pattern of high-to-low polymorphism from the Y to St and H genomes. Heterozygosis and karyotype heterozygosity in the plants with varying fertility were 3- and 13-fold higher than those in normal samples, respectively. Significant negative correlations were found not only between seed setting rates and total genome heterozygosity but also between seed setting rates and heterozygosity of each genome in the plants of varying fertility. Chromosome pairing analysis was performed using genomic in situ hybridization in selected plants of different fertility levels. The pairing of chromosomes at meiotic metaphase I was mostly bivalent, although univalent, trivalent, quadrivalent, and other polyvalents also occurred; in addition, chromosome configuration forms and frequencies varied among the studied samples. ANOVA results showed that the average number of ring bivalents in the Y genome was significantly higher than those in the St and H genomes. Significant positive correlations between pollen grain fertility and ring bivalent number were found in the St and H genomes but not in the Y genome. Furthermore, chromosome configuration parameters (total bivalents, numbers of ring and rod bivalents) were found to be significantly correlated with heterozygosity and seed setting rates in the St and H genomes, respectively, but not in the Y genome. It was inferred that the seed setting rate and pollen grain fertility in E. nutans are strongly influenced by the heterozygosity of each genome, but the Y genome differs from the St and H genomes due to chromosome pair alterations. The St and H genomes may contain more chromosome structural variations than the Y genome in E. nutans ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2021 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.)

In recent years, the number of human rabies cases in China has decreased annually. However, some western provinces with no human cases for more than 10 years have begun to report rabies cases, and all of the rabies lineages that circulated in western China were found in Inner Mongolia as well. In this study, we generated a phylogenetic tree with all the Inner Mongolia rabies strains available in GenBank and our laboratory, as well as strains from western China and representative viruses from neighboring countries, based on the N gene sequence. Furthermore, the possible relationships underlying the spread of the virus within Inner Mongolia and neighboring regions were analyzed. Three of six rabies lineages of China (China I-VI) were shown to exist in Inner Mongolia, and a spatial cluster analysis supported that the China I lineage, the dominant cluster of China, likely spread to Ningxia from Inner Mongolia. Wild raccoon dog rabies (China IV/Arctic-like-2) may have spread to Inner Mongolia from Russia and likely continued to spread to Qinghai and Tibet. The red fox lineage (China III/Cosmopolitan), which likely spread from Russia and Mongolia, has been shown to circulate in Inner Mongolia and was a serious threat to Xinjiang, which is adjacent to Inner Mongolia. Thus, Inner Mongolia likely became a location where national and international rabies viruses collected and developed into a potential portal for the spread of rabies to western China. To effectively control the spread of rabies in China, both prevention and control of dog and wild animal rabies in Inner Mongolia should be a top priority.

Objective: To analyze the phenotype and genotype of a family with congenital dysfibrinogenemia., Methods: Assays of coagulation, including activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT), pro-thrombin time(PT)and thrombin time(TT) were carried out with Sysmex CA-7000 in the proband and his family members. The quality and quantity of fibrinogen in plasma were determined by Clauss and electrophoresis, respectively. Fibrinogen and inconstituent were analyzed by Native-PAGE. All exon and exon intron boundaries of fibringen genes were analyzed by direct sequencing., Results: The proband had normal APTT, but prolonged PT and TT. The activity of fibrinogen in plasma was decreased while its quantity was normal. These abnormalities were also found in his sisters and daughter, while his wife was normal. Genetic analysis revealed heterozygous G1233A in the exon 2 of FGA which resulted in Arg16His missense mutation., Conclusion: Inherited dysfibrinogenemia is caused by Arg16His mutation in exon 2 of FGA.

To understand the epidemic situation and factors influencing rabies cases in children in China, we obtained an overview of the current epidemic based on individual data of rabies cases in children and a descriptive analysis was carried on the prevalence and related factors. The results showed that the rabies cases in children accounted for 21.3% of the total number of rabies cases in China, 97.0% of these cases occurred in rural areas, they were mainly caused by dogs (81.5%), and were primarily level III exposure (47.7%). More than half of the cases were not treated with wound care, vaccination rate was extremely low (15.7%), and only 5.9% of cases were injected with antibodies. Furthermore, 25.4% of cases adopted incorrect treatments such as extruding bleed and wound closure, cases vaccinated with 5 injections accounted for only 22.5%. In conclusion, the prevalence of rabies cases in children in China remains a serious concern, the number and immune status of dogs in rural areas, and knowledge of rabies by risk populations should be considered in future rabies prevention and control programs., (Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the differences in the efficacy on distant version of naked eye in the patients of juvenile myopia between rotating manipulation and lifting-thrusting manipulation of acupuncture., Methods: One hundred and twenty cases (240 eyes) were randomized into a rotating manipulation group and a lifting-thrusting manipulation group, 60 cases (120 eyes) in each group. Additionally, a corrective lenses group, 60 cases (120 eyes), was set up as the control. In both manipulation groups, Cuanzhu (BL 2),Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Sizhukong (TE 23), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Fengchi (GB 20), Zusanli (ST 36), Guangming (GB 37) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) were punctured, but stimulated with rotating manipulation and lifting-thrusting manipulation respectively three times per week, 10 times as a treatment session and totally one session was required. In the corrective lenses group, the glasses were applied at daytime. The clinical efficacy and the changes in distant vision of naked eye before and after treatment were compared among the three groups., Results: The total effective rate was 87.5% (105/120) in the rotating manipulation group, which was better than 69.2% (83/120) in the lifting-thrusting manipulation group (P < 0.05). The distant vision of naked eye was improved apparently in the rotating manipulation group and the lifting-thrusting manipulation group after treatment (both P < 0.05). But it was not improved in the corrective lenses group (P > 0.05). The distant vision of naked eye was improved more apparently after treatment in the rotating manipulation group as compared with that in the lifting-thrusting manipulation group (0.75 +/- 0.23 vs 0.68 +/- 0.24, P < 0.05). For 96 cases (192 eyes) with acupuncture treatment, in 3-month follow-up, 87.0% (167/192) of the cases maintained the stable vision as the original level and 13.0% (25/192) of them were reduced in the vision In the acupuncture groups, it was found that the improvement of distant vision of naked eye was more obvious after treatment with younger age, better basic vision and shorter duration of sickness (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Acupuncture achieves the positive and sustainable clinical effect on juvenile myopia, and the results of rotating manipulation are superior to that of lifting-thrusting manipulation. Age, basic vision and duration of sickness impact the clinical efficacy.

Objective: To understand the rabies virus (RABV) evolutionary relationship between the strains of China and Asia and to know the evolution and transmission characteristics of RABV in Asia., Methods: The G sequences of representative strains from China were selected and combined the sequences of other countries in Asia to analyze using BEAST and MigraPhyla software., Results: The phylogenetic analysis showed that six groups (China I-VI) of China had different epidemic range: China I , II and V groups just cycled in our country; China VI group, from Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, crossed with Southeast Asian strains; China III group and IV group also have closer genetic relationship with Asian country strains., Conclusion: Geographic migration in Asia showed that Thailand and India may be two rabies transmission centers in Asia.

Objective: This study was to explore the differences in the nucleoprotein gene between rabies virus (RABV) and its vaccine strains in Guizhou province from year 2005 to 2010., Methods: Samples from 4 rabies patients and cerebral tissue samples of 28 rabies infected dogs were collected from different districts in Guizhou province between year 2005 and 2010. Direct Immunofluorescence Assay (DFA) and RT-nested PCR assay were applied to detect the overall length of N gene sequence. Meanwhile, based on the comparison between the homology and phylogenetic tree, the differences in N gene sequence between the prevalent RABV and the RABV vaccine strains collected from NCBI database in these years., Results: According to DFA and RT-nested PCR assay, the antigen and nucleic acid of the 21 dogs and 4 human samples were both confirmed positive; whose full length of N gene sequences were both 1353 bp. The homological analysis showed that the 25 strains of RABV virus and the RABV type I virus stored by GenBank database shared a high homology in N gene nucleotide and amino acid sequences, which were 89%-100% and 98%-100%, respectively. Besides, the homology between the 25 strains of RABV virus and its vaccines in nucleotide and amino acid sequences were separately 86%-95% and 96%-100%. The N gene of vaccines for livestock shared the highest homology with HEP-Flury strain in the nucleotide and amino acid, which were 88%-89% and 98%-99%, respectively. The vaccines for human use showed its greatest homology with the CTN strain in nucleotide (86%-100%) and amino acid (96%-100%). The phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that the 25 strains of RABV virus, RABV type I virus and the CTN vaccine strains constituted one individual cluster, which was least different from the CTN vaccine for human use., Conclusion: The prevalent RABV virus, the vaccine HEP-Flury for livestock and the vaccine CTN for human use were found to be highly similar in N gene expression in Guizhou province from 2005 to 2010.

To analyze 25 nucleoprotein gene (N gene) sequences of rabies viruses circulating in Guizhou province during 2005-2010, China, and to explore the epidemic characteristics and the probable mutant of rabies in Guizhou Province. Rabies virus RNA in human brain tissues, human saliva, and domestic dog brain tissues derived from different prefectures of Guizhou Province were detected with RT-nested PCR, and the amplified products were then sequenced. Bioinformatics software was used to determine the genetic characteristics of these rabies viruses. The sequences of N gene of 25 Guizhou provincial isolates were identical with homogeny between 97.5% - 99.3% and 98.4% - 99.8% at nucleotide and deduced amino acid level, respectively, while the identities between them and isolated strains from other province of China were 88% - 99.1% and 88% - 99.7%. There were several amino acid substitutions in the nucleoprotein of 25 Guizhou isolates compared with the known genotype 1 isolates. The analysis of phylogenetic tree of 25 Guizhou isolates was demonstrated to be genetically divided into two groups, indicating that the virus presented a unique characteristics in geographic distribution and in a time dependent-manner. And phylogenetic tree of 25 Guizhou isolates and 7 genotype 1 strains isolated from other Province of China was also divided into two groups, which were further composed of several subgroups, respectively. From these observations, the rabies viruses derived from Guizhou province were still genotype 1. These isolates of rabies virus were diverged from the strains isolated from other provinces in both gene sequences and deduced amino acid sequences, and these divergences were characterized in geographic distribution and in a time-dependent manner.

Objective: To analyze the etiology of rabies in Hunan province and the genetic characteristics of rabies N gene isolated from 2008 to 2009., Methods: Direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and nested PCR were employed to detect the monitoring samples including brain tissues of dogs and saliva, serum or urine which were collected in 2008 to 2009, from the rabies patients. Positive samples were sequenced by ABI3730 gene analyzer for the full length of the N gene target. The homology and hpylogeography of the rabies virus were analyzed after the phylogenetic tree was constructed by Blast, Clustal W and Mega 4.0 software., Results: Of the 1451 tissue samples from the dogs' brain, 31 were positive under DFA and the positive rate was 2.14%. The DFA positive samples were redetected by RT-PCR and the positive rate was 1.17%. 56 samples of saliva, serum and urine samples were detected by RT-PCR from the rabies patients, with 3 positives and the positive rate was 5.36%. The length of nest PCR products were 255 bp. The rates of homology to the nucleotide and the amino acid of rabies N gene were 87.2% - 87.9% after compared to the pasture strain. The phylogenetic tree was successfully built and 20 strains isolated lately belonged to the rabies gene type I., Conclusion: The epidemic situation of human and dogs rabies in Human were relatively stable, with all the isolated rabies virus belonging to genotype I, without any variation.

To construct a recombinant expression plasmid Bacmid-N containing the N gene of Rabies Virus, the N gene of RV CVS-11 strain was cloned into the baculovirus shuttle vector (Bacmid). Recombinant Baculovirus AcMNPV-N (P1 Viral stock) was obtained by transfecting the Bacmid-N into the insect cell line of Sf9. The expressed nucleoprotein was identified and analysised by ELISA, FA, SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays. The results showed that the NP protein was expressed intracellularly and had a good antigenicity, which would be potentially used for further study on the diagnostic reagent of rabies virus detection.

Objective: To investigate the status of infection and distribution of rabies virus (RV) in different epidemic areas in China., Methods: Brain specimens from animals and suspected patients were collected at the districts of high-, medium- and low incidence rates of human rabies and detected by both direct Immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and RT-PCR., Results: 254 of 3007 specimens of dog brains showed RV positive by DFA (positive rate of 8.4%). Among these 254 samples, 78 showed positive (positive rate of 30.7%) by RT-PCR. 93 specimens from dogs and cats that had attacked human beings, 63 of them showed positive by DFA (positive rate of 67.7%) and all of them were also positive by RT-PCR. In addition, RV could also be detected in Apodemus agrarius, ferret badger, and suspected patients specimens from the districts under survey. There was no statistical difference between the infection rates of RV in different provinces and regions with different incidence of rabies., Conclusion: There might be a relatively high infection rate of RV among the domestic dogs/cats in the endemic areas in China. Wild animals might have been infected with RV in the districts under survey.