Molecular analysis and geographic distribution of the recent Indonesian rabies virus

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Some Indonesian islands, including Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, and East Nusa Tenggara, have endemic rabies. Rabies outbreaks in Bali began from 2008 to 2011 and continue to occur sporadically. This study aimed to study the molecular analysis and geographical distribution of Indonesian rabies virus (RABV) from 2016 to 2021 and compare to previous periods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Virus isolates from 2016 to 2021 were extracted from dog brains and sequenced at the nucleoprotein gene locus. They were compared with data sequences available in the GenBank database. Indonesian RABV from the previous three periods (before 1989, 1997-2003, and 2008-2010) was extracted from the GenBank database. The genetic diversity in this study was based on the N gene of Indonesian RABV.

RESULTS: Asian RABV, which is genetically close to the Indonesian virus, is a virus from China (ASIA-3 cluster) and from the Southeast Asia region, namely, virus isolates from Sarawak and Malaysia and some Cambodian isolates. Rabies virus, which was isolated from the Bali islands, was the new cluster first detected and published in Bali, Indonesia, in 2008, while RABV from West Sumatra Province, which was isolated from 2016 to 2021, was also considered a new cluster that is genetically distant from other clusters in Indonesia.

CONCLUSION: The RABV in Indonesia is divided into five clusters. The isolates from West Sumatra Province from 2016 to 2021 were a new cluster genetically distant from other Indonesian viruses.