A Case Report on a Human Bite Contact with a Rabid Honey Badger (Kromdraai Area, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa).

In South Africa, rabies cycles are sustained by both domestic and wildlife host species. Despite the fact that the majority of human rabies cases are associated with dog bite exposures, wildlife species can potentially transmit rabies virus (RABV) infection to humans. In July 2021, a honey badger () from the Kromdraai area (Gauteng Province) bit a dog on a small farm.

Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemistry for the detection of rabies virus in domestic and wild animals in South Africa.

We estimated the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of an immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocol compared to the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT), which is the gold standard test for rabies diagnosis. We obtained brain samples from 199 domestic and wild animal cases (100 DFAT-negative, 99 DFAT-positive), by convenience sampling from 2 government-accredited rabies virus (RABV) testing laboratories in South Africa, between February 2015 and August 2017. Tissues that had been stored at 4-8°C for several days to weeks at the 2 accredited laboratories were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded.

Spatio-temporal epidemiology of animal and human rabies in northern South Africa between 1998 and 2017.

Background: Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease that is maintained in domestic dogs and wildlife populations in the Republic of South Africa. A retrospective study was conducted to improve understanding of the dynamics of rabies in humans, domestic dogs, and wildlife species, in relation to the ecology for three northern provinces of South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North-West) between 1998 and 2017.

Methods: A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted for human and animal rabies.

Substance use amongst high school learners in the south of Johannesburg: Is this the new norm?

Background: Substance use amongst high school learners is common in South Africa, with related risky behaviours and outcomes. Because of the social and geographical trends, studies in various parts of the country are essential to contribute to the understanding of the overall picture. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of substance use, as well as the factors associated with substance use in a sample of high school learners in a suburb south of Johannesburg.

Complete Coding Sequences of 23 South African Domestic and Wildlife Rabies Viruses.

South African rabies viruses originating from dogs and jackals (canid viruses) are closely related and highlight cross-species transmission events between the two canine species. Rabies due to the canid lyssavirus variant is a significant public health matter in this country. The complete coding sequences of 23 canid lyssaviruses from South Africa are reported here.

Mokola virus in domestic mammals, South Africa.

We recently identified 2 Mokola viruses from domestic mammals (a dog and a cat) in South Africa. These cases occurred 8 years after the last reported case of infection with this virus. Our findings emphasize the endemicity of rabies-related lyssaviruses in South Africa and the need to better understand the epidemiology of Mokola viruses.