Up-to-date accents on rabies disease

Bulgarian Medical Journal, 2025, 19(3), 33-40.

D. Ilieva

National Reference Laboratory “Rabies and Anthrax”, NDRVMI – Sofia

Abstract. The article discusses the etiology, pathogenesis and prevalence of rabies in Europe. Important aspects of the clinic of the disease are presented, as well as cases of bat rabies transmitted to terrestrial animals and humans. Rabies is a zoonosis widespread throughout the world and is caused by neurotropic viruses of the genus Lyssavirus in the family Rhabdoviridae and the order Mononegavirales. Infected individuals develop acute CNS infection and fatal encephalitis, which are diagnostically difficult to distinguish from those caused by the “classic” rabies virus (RABV). On the basis of nucleotide sequences and the nucleoprotein gene (N), 17 species of Lyssaviruses have been differentiated at this stage with different pathogenicity and immunogenicity.

Key words: rabies, etiology, pathogenesis, prevalence, Europe

Address for correspondence: Prof. Darinka Ilieva, PhD, e-mail: emd@mail.orbitel.bg