Publications

shimoni bat virus, a new representative of the lyssavirus genus.	during 2009, 616 bats representing at least 22 species were collected from 10 locations throughout kenya. a new lyssavirus, named shimoni bat virus (shibv), was isolated from the brain of a dead commerson's leaf-nosed bat (hipposideros commersoni), found in a cave in the coastal region of kenya. genetic distances and phylogenetic reconstructions, implemented for each gene and for the concatenated alignment of all five structural genes (n, p, m, g and l), demonstrated that shibv cannot be identif ...	2010	20138934
a universal real-time assay for the detection of lyssaviruses.	rabies virus (rabv) is enzootic throughout most of the world. it is now widely accepted that rabv had its origins in bats. ten of the 11 lyssavirus species recognised, including rabv, have been isolated from bats. there is, however, a lack of understanding regarding both the ecology and host reservoirs of lyssaviruses. a real-time pcr assay for the detection of all lyssaviruses using universal primers would be beneficial for lyssavirus surveillance. it was shown that using sybr(®) green, a unive ...	2011	21777619
Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni) is the likely reservoir of Shimoni bat virus.	In this study we attempted to identify whether Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni) is the reservoir of Shimoni bat virus (SHIBV), which was isolated from a bat of this species in 2009. An alternative explanation is that the isolation of SHIBV from H. commersoni was a result of spill-over infection from other species, particularly from the Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), which frequently sympatrically roost with H. commersoni and are known as the reservoir of the phy ...	2011	21867415
analysis of the complete genome of the first irkut virus isolate from china: comparison across the lyssavirus genus.	the genome of irkut virus, isolate irkv-thchina12, the first non-rabies lyssavirus from china (of bat origin), has been completely sequenced. in general, coding and non-coding regions of this viral genome are similar to those of other lyssaviruses. however, alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of the structural proteins of irkv-thchina12 with those of other lyssavirus representatives revealed significant variability between viral species. the nucleoprotein and matrix protein were found ...	2013	23872529
antigenic characterisation of lyssaviruses in south africa.	there are at least six lyssavirus species that have been isolated in africa, which include classical rabies virus, lagos bat virus, mokola virus, duvenhage virus, shimoni bat virus and ikoma lyssavirus. in this retrospective study, an analysis of the antigenic reactivity patterns of lyssaviruses in south africa against a panel of 15 anti-nucleoprotein monoclonal antibodies was undertaken. a total of 624 brain specimens, collected between 2005 and 2009, confirmed as containing lyssavirus antigen ...	2014	25685866
comparison of pathogenic domains of rabies and african rabies-related lyssaviruses and pathogenicity observed in mice.	several lyssavirus species occur in africa (rabies virus, lagos bat virus, mokola virus, duvenhage virus, shimoni bat virus and ikoma lyssavirus), displaying a high sequence diversity between isolates belonging to the same species. there is limited information about comparative pathogenesis of these african lyssaviruses and this precludes authoritative opinion on the potential public and veterinary health impact. in this study, an analysis of representative african lyssaviruses attempted to corr ...	2013	23718883
exposure to lyssaviruses in bats of the democratic republic of the congo.	lyssavirus infections in the democratic republic of congo are poorly documented. we examined 218 bats. no lyssavirus antigens were detected but lagos bat virus (lbv) neutralizing antibodies (vna) were detected in eidolon helvum and myonycteris torquata . four samples with lbv vna reacted against shimoni bat virus.	2017	28151079