RABV

The Rabies Virus (RABV) is a member of the Lyssavirus genus within the Rhabdoviridae family, belonging to the order Mononegavirales. This virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus that causes rabies, a fatal neurological disease transmitted primarily through animal bites. The virus's primary function involves infecting neurons, leading to severe neurological symptoms such as hydrophobia and paralysis. One of the known receptors of RABV, nAchR, is restricted to muscle cells, evidence for primary infections of muscle cells followed by transmission to neurons. It is thought that RABV entry into primary motor neurons is followed by retrograde axonal transport, replication and assembly in the neuronal cell body, and then transport to and budding from another synapse to start a new round of infection and resultant neuron-to-neuron spread. Rabies is a significant public health concern, particularly in Asia and Africa, where the disease burden is highest. Effective prevention relies on vaccination, which can provide protection against rabies virus but may not offer cross-protection against other lyssaviruses^[1].