Emergence of Rabies in Cape Fur Seals, South Africa
Rabies was diagnosed in Cape fur seals by using direct fluorescent antibody testing in South Africa, 2024. We investigated the origin of rabies virus in this species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed virus introduction from jackals into seals, followed by sustained viral transmission within the seal population and spillover into a domestic dog.
Authors
- Wonderful Shumba
- Munangatire Mparamoto
- Chuene Ernest Ngoepe
- Claude Sabeta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7842-7985)
- Lesley Van Helden
- Laura C. Roberts
- Deon Kriel
Institutions
- Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (ZA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Published
- 2026-07-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260179
- Primary Topic
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00