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While Europe is mostly free from terrestrial rabies, five bat lyssaviruses may cause the same clinical disease in mammals. In June 2020, we diagnosed the infection with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV) in a domestic cat from Arezzo city (Italy). We diagnosed the case according to OIE standards, using fluorescence antibody test, rRT-PCR and sequencing of partial N gene. We performed whole genome sequencing through a metagenomics approach. In Arezzo, we applied control measures indicated by national regulations and carried out an epidemiological investigation to trace the contacts between the infected cat, people and other animals in the 10 days preceding the onset of disease. We performed visual inspections, bioacoustics analyses and camera trapping to investigate a possible interface between cats and bats and performed active and passive surveillance in these animals to trace the source of infection. Italian WCBV retained high identity across the whole-genome with the only other isolate found in 2002 from a Russian bent-winged bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) (GB EF614258). We identified 11 contacts, six persons that received full PEP, plus a dog and four cats that underwent six months of quarantine. They all remain healthy one year passed exposure. We identified a group of bent-winged bats in a tunnel nearby the cat's house showing antibodies neutralizing WCBV across four sampling occasions, but no virus in salivary swabs. Bat carcasses from different species collected across the country were all negative. We described the first case of WCBV in a non-flying mammal, an Italian cat showing neurological signs and aggressive behaviour. This event highlights the lack of international guidelines against divergent lyssaviruses in the absence of preventive and therapeutic measures. Fortunately, we noticed no secondary cases and contacts remained healthy. The Italian WCBV retains high identity with the reference strain, showing no signs of geographical clustering or adaptation to a new host. Results from our investigation indicate bent-winged bats as the most probable source of infection, testifying the bat-human encroachment in urban areas and confirming that free-ranging cats are a potential hazard for public health other than for the conservation of bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hantaviruses include several zoonotic pathogens that cause different syndromes in humans, with mortality rates ranging from 12 to 40%. Most commonly, humans get infected through the inhalation of aerosols or dust particles contaminated with virus-containing rodent excreta. Hantaviruses are specifically associated with the host species, and human cases depend on the presence and the dynamics of reservoir hosts. In this letter, we report the identification of Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) in the yellow-necked mouse ( Apodemus flavicollis ) from Italy. The virus was detected in the mountainous area of the province of Udine, bordering Austria and Slovenia, during an event of enhanced mortality in wild mice and voles. Despite serological evidence in rodents and humans that suggested the circulation of hantaviruses in Italy since 2000, this is the first virological confirmation of the infection. Phylogenetic analyses across the whole genome of the two detected viruses confirmed the host-specificity of DOBV sub-species and showed the highest identity with viruses identified in Slovenia and Croatia from both A. flavicollis and humans, with no signs of reassortment. These findings highlight the need for ecologists, veterinarians and medical doctors to come together in a coordinated approach in full compliance with the One Health concept.

In June 2020, a cat from Arezzo (Italy) that died from a neurological disease was diagnosed with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV). The virus retained high identity across the whole-genome with the reference isolate found in 2002 from a Russian bent-winged bat. We applied control measures recommended by national regulations, investigated a possible interface between cats and bats using visual inspections, bioacoustics analyses and camera trapping and performed active and passive surveillance in bats to trace the source of infection. People that were exposed to the cat received full post-exposure prophylaxis while animals underwent six months of quarantine. One year later, they are all healthy. In a tunnel located near the cat's house, we identified a group of bent-winged bats that showed virus-neutralizing antibodies to WCBV across four sampling occasions, but no virus in salivary swabs. Carcasses from other bat species were all negative. This description of WCBV in a non-flying mammal confirms that this virus can cause clinical rabies in the absence of preventive and therapeutic measures, and highlights the lack of international guidelines against divergent lyssaviruses. We detected bent-winged bats as the most probable source of infection, testifying the encroachment between these bats and pets/human in urban areas and confirming free-ranging cats as potential hazard for public health and conservation.