Phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome sequence of a dog lineage rabies virus detected from cattle in eastern China, 2019.

Rabies is an important zoonosis worldwide, and this disease is caused by the rabies virus. Dogs and bat are the major hosts of rabies virus; however, many animals could infect with the rabies virus. By biting or scratching by an infected animal, rabies virus can be transmitted to cattle which is an important domestic animal in animal husbandry. Here, we report a case about a rabies virus (abbreviated JSTZ190314) found in cattle in eastern China in 2019. Our findings suggest that this rabies virus JSTZ190314 was a dog-origin rabies virus and belonged to the Asia clade. Furthermore, we found that this JSTZ190314-like rabies virus has been prevalent in China for more than 13 years and infected six species of animals. Our findings suggested that enhanced surveillance and research of rabies virus infection in bovine populations is needed.