2025/11/06 by Redwan Rahmat, Matthijs F Ravensberg, Debby Schipper +6 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #Human-Animal Interaction Studies #Rabies epidemiology and control #Virology and Viral Diseases
paper · doi:10.1099/jgv.0.002166
openalex created_date 2025/11/06 · openalex publication_date 2025/11/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Rabies is a fatal zoonosis that impairs host immune function, yet effects on peripheral lymphoid architecture are poorly defined. During a 2021-2022 rabies virus (RABV) outbreak in South Africa, we collected cervical lymph nodes from 36 rabies-suspect dogs; RABV RNA was detected in 27. Canine distemper virus RNA was detected in a subset across both RABV-positive (RABV+) and RABV-negative (RABV-) groups and was not associated with clinical-sign count. We set up a computer-assisted histological analysis tool to quantify germinal-centre (GC) nucleus density and immunohistochemistry for CD20, PNA and IBA1 to profile B cells, GC activity and macrophages. Within the outbreak cohort, GC density and marker-based metrics did not differ between RABV+ and RABV- dogs. Two healthy dogs were included as reference tissues; values in outbreak dogs were generally lower, but these contrasts are contextual given the limited, non-matched controls. This study provides a reproducible framework for quantifying immune cell organization in field-collected tissues during natural RABV exposure and highlights the need for larger, geographically matched control groups and complementary functional immune measurements.