Identification of different species of mammalians involved in rabies epidemiology as reservoirs or hosts by sequencing of the Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene

• Grant number: 13/23650-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: February 29, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Carnieli Junior
• Grantee: Pedro Carnieli Junior
• Host Institution: Instituto Pasteur (IP). Coordenadoria de Controle de Doenças (CCD). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Paulo Eduardo Brandão

Abstract

The identification of species that act as reservoirs or hosts of zoonotic agents is essential for control and epidemiological surveillance of these diseases. The viruses are the main etiological agents of the emergent and reemergent zoonoses around the world. Rabies is a reemergent illness caused by a neurotropic virus, the rabies virus (RABV). The RABV have many genetic lineages maintained by different reservoirs in different geographical regions. In Brazil can be identified domestic and wild reservoirs of RABV as the domestic dog, the crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyon thous) the haematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus, the non haematophagous bats of different species and the white-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Morphometric species identification is an efficient method but requires specialized personnel and with the evolution of the molecular biology and bioinformatics, the genetic sequencing can be used to improve the identification of species. The sequencing of different regions of the mitochondrial DNA, as the genes cytochrome oxidase I, cytochome b and the control region has been used in studies of systematic, evolution, ecology and pathogeny. Sequencing of the cytochome b gene should therefore be used as an effective alternative to, or even in combination with morphometric identification. This project has the aim of to sequence the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene of domestic and wild species of mammalians from Brazil to help in the improvement at the surveillance of rabies and other zoonoses in this Country. (AU)