Comparative analysis of the pathogenic mechanisms of street rabies virus strains with different virulence levels.

Objective: To characterize two strains of street rabies virus (RABV) isolated from the brain tissue of cattle from Inner Mongolia. Differences in the histopathological and ultrastructural changes in the brain tissue of infected mice were determined to reveal variation in the pathogenesis of infection between street rabies virus strains.

Methods: Ten-day-old mice were intracranially inoculated with one of three virus strains and brain tissue harvested when the mice were moribund.

Identification of animal rabies in Inner Mongolia and analysis of the etiologic characteristics.

Objective: To perform pathological observation and etiological identification of specimens collected from dairy cows, beef cattle and dogs which were suspected of rabies in Inner Mongolia in 2011, and analyze their etiological characteristics.

Methods: Pathological observation was conducted on the brain specimens of three infected animals with Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, followed by confirmation using immunofluorescence and nested RT-PCR methods. Finally, phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the virus N gene sequence amplified from three specimens.