Lagos bat virus

{{Short description|Species of virus}}

{{Virusbox

| name = Lagos bat virus

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| parent = Lyssavirus

| species = Lyssavirus lagos

| synonyms =

• Lagos bat lyssavirus

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Lagos bat virus (LBV) is a Lyssavirus of southern and central Africa that causes a rabies-like illness in mammals. It was first isolated from a fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) from Lagos Island, Nigeria in 1956.{{ cite journal |author1=Boulger, L. R. |author2=Porterfield, J. S. | title = Isolation of a Virus from Nigerian Fruit Bats | journal = Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | volume = 52 | issue = 5 | pages = 421–4 |date=September 1958 | pmid = 13592882 | doi = 10.1016/0035-9203(58)90127-5 }} Brain samples from the bat showed poor cross-reactivity to rabies antibodies but the virus was found to be closely related to the rabies virus. This was the first discovery of a rabies-related virus. Until this time, rabies was thought to have a single causal agent.{{cn|date=January 2023}}

Lagos bat virus has been isolated from wild and domestic mammals in southern Africa including bats, cats and one dog.{{ cite journal |author1=Markotter, W. |author2=Randles, J. |author3=Rupprecht, C. E. |author4=Sabeta, C. T. |author5=Taylor, P. J. |author6=Wandeler, A. I. |author7=Nel, L. H. | title = Lagos Bat Virus, South Africa | journal = Emerging Infectious Diseases | volume = 12 | issue = 3 | pages = 504–6 |date=March 2006 | pmid = 16704795 | doi = 10.3201/eid1203.051306| url = http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/3/pdfs/05-1306.pdf | pmc=3291461}} One isolate was detected in France in 1999 when a fruit bat (Rousettus egypticus), which had been displaying signs of aggression, died. The bat had been imported from Africa.{{ cite journal |author1=Picard-Meyer, E. |author2=Barrat, J. |author3=Tissot, E. |author4=Verdot, A. |author5=Patron, C. |author6=Barrat, M. J. |author7=Cliquet, F. | title = Bat Rabies Surveillance in France, from 1989 through May 2005 | journal = Developments in Biologicals | volume = 125 | pages = 283–8 | year = 2006 | pmid = 16878486 }}

No human cases of Lagos bat virus infection have been documented.{{cn|date=January 2023}}