Genetic characteristics and geographic distribution of rabies virus in China.

ABSTRACT

China is one of the largest countries with endemic rabies. In this study, we examined the full-length genome sequences of 87 rabies virus (RABV) strains identified in China from 1931 to 2019. Chinese RABV isolates were divided into two major clades, GI and GII. Clade GI consisted of viruses from the Asian clade, which was further divided into three subclades Asian1, Asian2, and Asian3. Clade GII consisted of viruses from the Cosmopolitan, Arctic-related, and Indian clades. A phylogeographic network showed that the variation of rabies virus was more closely associated with geographic location than with the host species. Recombination appears to be one of the factors driving the emergence of new viral strains.