Integrating one health strategies for rabies control: Insights from Jackal-mediated human rabies in Northeast India

Introduction: Rabies is an ancient, lethal zoonotic disease caused by viruses of the genus Lyssavirus, affecting a wide variety of mammals. Though domestic dogs are the main vectors of rabies transmission to humans, other domestic and wildlife species also contribute to the spread of the disease in endemic regions like India. This report presents a case of human rabies following jackal exposure in India, along with the molecular characterization of the rabies virus (RABV) from both the jackal and the affected human patient.

Methods: RNA was extracted from brain tissue samples of a suspected rabid jackal and a 42-year-old male patient who died following exposure to the jackal. The extracted RNA was subjected to rabies-specific real-time PCR, followed by whole genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using these sequences, along with other publicly available RABV whole genome sequences, with the IQ-TREE2 software and the General Time Reversible (GTR+F+I+G4) model.

Results: Real-time PCR confirmed the presence of rabies viral RNA in both the jackal and human brain samples. Whole genome sequencing yielded complete sequences of RABV from the jackal brain, and partial sequences from the human brain sample. These sequences belonged to the Arctic AL1a lineage, and were closely related to RABV strains found in dogs and other animals in India.

Conclusion: This case underscores the potential for wildlife, such as jackals, to contribute significantly to human rabies cases and highlights the need for comprehensive surveillance and control measures to effectively combat rabies in endemic regions like India.