Sporadic case of bat rabies in the United Kingdom

On 28 September 2002 a sporadic case of a lyssavirus in a Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii) was detected in the United Kingdom (UK) using the fluorescent antibody test, as reported in this week’s Communicable Disease Report (1). Further tests on the bat sample were performed, including a rabies tissue culture inoculation test and pan lyssavirus polymerase chain reaction. These confirmed the presence of a lyssavirus.