P-44 Current Status of Rabies virus infection in animals in Grenada
Author(s):
V Matthew-Belmar, A Chikweto , S Cheetham , E Brathwaite , M Matthew- Bernard , W Sylvester , U Zieger , CNL Macpherson , M Wilkerson , A Alhassan
Year of Presentation:
2025
Objective: Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by the Lyssavirus Rabies Virus (RABV), which is transmitted by a bite
or saliva from a rabid animal. Rabies is endemic in over 150
countries, with a concentration in developing nations. In
Grenada, RABV was first identified in the 1950s and information on the virus strain was last updated in 2014. The
emergence of new strains requires study to enable a better
understanding of the epidemiology. This study investigated
the current status and genotypic variance of RABV in the
animal population in Grenada
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2014 to April 2024, using stored brain tissue samples collected from domestic and wild animal species suspected of being infected with RABV. Samples were tested using an established RT-PCR protocol and positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to investigate the RABV genotypes
Results: A total of 43 out of 131 (33%) samples examined were positive for RABV. The positive samples comprised 18 out of 59 (31%) dogs, 8 out of 17 (47%) cats, 1 out of 2 sheep (50%) and 16 out of 30 (53%) mongooses. None of the 2 cows, 2 goats, 17 bats or a single opossum tested positive. Sequence analysis for all positive samples demonstrated a 100% identity to the European/Middle East strain.
Conclusion: This study has provided an updated report of RABV in a variety of domestic and wild animals in Grenada. Sequenced analysis confirmed concordance to previously reported European/ Middle East strains and no strain variation was found in this population. During this period no human death of RABV have been reported in Grenada but, the continued public health threat of RABV necessitates the maintenance of surveillance of this important zoonosis.