Reservoir dynamics of rabies in Southeast Tanzania and the roles of cross-species transmission and domestic dog vaccination

Understanding the role of different species in the transmission of multi-host pathogens, such as rabies virus, is vital for effective control strategies. Across most of sub-Saharan Africa domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are considered the reservoir for rabies, but the role of wildlife has been long debated. Here we explore the multi-host transmission dynamics of rabies across southeast Tanzania. Between January 2011 and July 2019 data on probable rabies cases were collected in the regions of Lindi and Mtwara. Hospital records of animal-bite patients presenting to healthcare facilities were used as sentinels for animal contact tracing. The timing, location and species of probable rabid animals was used to reconstruct transmission trees to infer who infected whom and the relative frequencies of within- and between-species transmission. During the study, 688 probable human rabies exposures were identified, resulting in 47 deaths. Of these exposures, 389 were from domestic dogs (56.5...明确不同物种在多宿主病原体（multi-host pathogens）如狂犬病病毒（rabies virus）的传播过程中所扮演的角色，对于制定高效的传染病防控策略至关重要。在撒哈拉以南非洲（sub-Saharan Africa）大部分区域，家犬（Canis familiaris）被认定为狂犬病的储存宿主（reservoir），但野生动物在该病传播中的作用长期以来饱受争议。本研究聚焦坦桑尼亚东南部地区的狂犬病多宿主传播动力学展开探究。 2011年1月至2019年7月期间，研究团队在林迪（Lindi）与姆特瓦拉（Mtwara）两个行政区收集疑似狂犬病病例的相关数据。将就诊于医疗机构的动物咬伤患者的医院记录，作为开展动物接触追踪的监测哨点。通过记录疑似狂犬病动物的发病时间、分布地点及感染物种，重建传播树（transmission trees）以推断病毒的传播来源，以及种内与种间传播的相对频率。 本研究期间，共确认688起人类狂犬病暴露事件，其中47例最终死亡。在这些暴露事件中，有389起由家犬引发（占比56.5%……）