Isolation of rabies vírus from lungs, heart, kidneys, bladder and other tissues of the hematofagous bats, Desmodus rotundus

Abstract

From hematofagous bats, Desmodus rotundus, captured during the day in the Municipalities of Campos and Bom Jesus of Itabapoana in the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Municipality of Bom Jesus do Norte in the State of Espírito Santo (Brazil), rabies virus were isolated from lungs, heart, kidneys, bladder, scapular muscle, trachea, mucus of the pharyngeal and oral cavities, liver, brain, sub-maxillar and parotide glands, by intracerebral inoculation in the 4-day and 21-day old mice. The strains of virus isolated were identified as rabies virus, by presence of Negri bodies in the cytoplasm of the nerve cells following the microscopic examination of the brains of inoculated mice and by neutralization tests.