Rhabdoviruses - Master of Infection

Rhabdo = Greek. 'rod-shaped'. Rabies has been known for more than 20,000 years, the first description dates from the 23rd century BC in the Mesopotamia (Fu, 1997 Rabies and Rabies research: past, present and future. Vaccine 15, S20-S24).

Genetically, these viruses have non-segmented (-)sense RNA genome reminiscent of Paramyxoviruses. There are >200 Rhabdoviruses known (probably still an underestimate of the total), which infect man (Rabies - the only member of the group to do so 'naturally'), other mammals, fish, insects (some replicate in arthropods and were previously classified as Arboviruses) and plants - versatile! The family is split into six genera.

Rabies is an 'ancient' disease, first shown to be of infectious origin in 1808, shown to be of viral etiology by Pasteur in the 1880's (when Pasteur and Koch were developing the germ theory of disease - prior to the firm modern definition of 'viruses' by Beijerinick (1898)). Over a decade, Pasteur carried out the serial passage of Rabies virus in rabbits, and eventually succeeded in isolating an attenuated preparation which was used to treat patients bitten by mad dogs (not without some risks).

Table 1.1 Group V: (-) sense RNA Viruses