{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T21:32:51Z","timestamp":1782423171100,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]],"date-time":"2025-12-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765152000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Rabies, caused by viruses of the genus\n                    <jats:italic>Lyssavirus<\/jats:italic>\n                    (family Rhabdoviridae), remains a persistent public health and veterinary challenge in Israel, a small but strategically positioned country at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Over the past 18\u202fyears (2006\u20132024), more than 670 confirmed rabies cases have been reported in humans, wildlife, farm animals, and stray dogs, with the latest human fatality recorded in November 2024, following a bite from an unvaccinated dog. While domestic dogs (\n                    <jats:italic>Canis familiaris<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) and golden jackals (\n                    <jats:italic>Canis aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) account for the majority of cases, little is known about the role of Israel\u2019s 32 bat species in the circulation of\n                    <jats:italic>Lyssavirus rabies<\/jats:italic>\n                    . We analyzed national rabies testing records spanning nearly three decades (1995\u20132022), encompassing over 42,000 animals. Among the 294 bats tested, representing both insectivorous and frugivorous species, none were positive for rabies virus (\n                    <jats:italic>R. lyssavirus;<\/jats:italic>\n                    RABV). These findings contrast sharply with the high prevalence detected in carnivores and livestock and align with the absence of documented bat-to-human transmission events in Israel. These results suggest that bats in Israel remain largely isolated from the\n                    <jats:italic>Lyssavirus<\/jats:italic>\n                    transmission cycles affecting other domestic and wild mammals and may pose minimal risk for rabies or other\n                    <jats:italic>Lyssavirus<\/jats:italic>\n                    spillover in the region. They also underscore the significance of sustained long-term surveillance to detect emerging\n                    <jats:italic>Lyssavirus<\/jats:italic>\n                    threats.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1707522","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]],"date-time":"2025-12-08T14:09:43Z","timestamp":1765202983000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Minimal risk of Rabies lyssavirus spillover from bats in Israel: findings from long-term surveillance"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Maya","family":"Weinberg","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roni","family":"King","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roi","family":"Lapid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Boris","family":"Yakobson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marina","family":"Eyngor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dongsheng","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Efstathios S.","family":"Giotis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"231","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-818705-0.00007-8","article-title":"Bat rabies","volume-title":"Rabies: Scientific basis of the disease and its management","author":"Banyard","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-396547-9.00006-7","article-title":"Bat rabies","volume-title":"Rabies: Scientific Basis of the Disease and Its Management","author":"Banyard","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1590","DOI":"10.1099\/jgv.0.001068","article-title":"Isolation, antigenicity and immunogenicity of Lleida bat lyssavirus","volume":"99","author":"Banyard","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Gen. Virol."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.3390\/v13010069","article-title":"Genetic and antigenetic characterization of the novel Kotalahti bat lyssavirus (KBLV)","volume":"13","author":"Calvelage","year":"2021","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"793","DOI":"10.3201\/eid1905.121071","article-title":"Novel lyssavirus in bat, Spain","volume":"19","author":"Ceballos","year":"2013","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3056","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2612.203592","article-title":"Lyssaviruses in insectivorous bats, South Africa, 2003\u20132018","volume":"26","author":"Coertse","year":"2020","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref001","first-page":"3","article-title":"Dogs serve as a reservoir and transmit rabies in Israel: Is history repeating itself?","volume":"66","author":"David","year":"2011","journal-title":"Israel Journal of Veterinary Medicine"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.3201\/eid0502.990227","article-title":"Human rabies in Israel","volume":"5","author":"David","year":"1999","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1089","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens12091089","article-title":"Phylogeographic aspects of bat lyssaviruses in Europe: a review","volume":"12","author":"Dundarova","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pathogens."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3678","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.39.10.3678-3683.2001","article-title":"Screening of active lyssavirus infection in wild bat populations by viral RNA detection on oropharyngeal swabs","volume":"39","author":"Echevarr\u00eda","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Clin. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"892","DOI":"10.3390\/v11100892","article-title":"Current rabies vaccines do not confer protective immunity against divergent lyssaviruses circulating in Europe","volume":"11","author":"Echevarr\u00eda","year":"2019","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jviromet.2014.03.014","article-title":"Molecular double-check strategy for the identification and characterization of European lyssaviruses","volume":"203","author":"Fischer","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Virol. Methods"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1769","DOI":"10.3390\/v13091769","article-title":"Renewed public health threat from emerging lyssaviruses","volume":"13","author":"Fooks","year":"2021","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0003709","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0003709","article-title":"Estimating the global burden of endemic canine rabies","volume":"9","author":"Hampson","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"409","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-396547-9.00011-0","article-title":"Laboratory diagnosis of rabies","volume-title":"Rabies: Scientific Basis of the Disease and Its Management","author":"Hanlon","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0005266","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0005266","article-title":"The global phylogeography of lyssaviruses\u2014challenging the \u201cout of Africa\u201d hypothesis","volume":"10","author":"Hayman","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2010.02.001","article-title":"Human rabies due to lyssavirus infection of bat origin","volume":"142","author":"Johnson","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1016\/j.virusres.2008.04.021","article-title":"Complete genomes of Aravan, Khujand, Irkut and west Caucasian bat viruses, with special attention to the polymerase gene and non-coding regions","volume":"136","author":"Kuzmin","year":"2008","journal-title":"Virus Res."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111738","DOI":"10.1016\/j.isci.2024.111738","article-title":"European distribution and intramuscular pathogenicity of divergent lyssaviruses west Caucasian bat virus and Lleida bat lyssavirus","volume":"28","author":"Leopardi","year":"2025","journal-title":"iScience."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-020-0394-z","article-title":"Bat-borne virus diversity, spillover and emergence","volume":"18","author":"Letko","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"385","DOI":"10.20506\/rst.37.2.2809","article-title":"Bat lyssaviruses","volume":"37","author":"Markotter","year":"2018","journal-title":"Rev. Sci. Tech."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1016\/j.coviro.2017.11.007","article-title":"The lyssavirus host-specificity conundrum\u2014rabies virus\u2014the exception not the rule","volume":"28","author":"Marston","year":"2018","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Virol."},{"key":"ref22","first-page":"113","article-title":"Lyssaviruses","volume-title":"Rabies: Scientific Basis of the Disease and Its Management","author":"Mayes","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1111\/zph.12003","article-title":"Molecular epidemiology of bat lyssaviruses in Europe","volume":"60","author":"McElhinney","year":"2013","journal-title":"Zoonoses Public Health"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"156","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms19010156","article-title":"Molecular epidemiology and evolution of European bat lyssavirus 2","volume":"19","author":"McElhinney","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1553","DOI":"10.1093\/molbev\/msm076","article-title":"A family matter: conclusive resolution of the taxonomic position of the long-fingered bats","volume":"24","author":"Miller-Butterworth","year":"2007","journal-title":"Miniopterus. Mol Biol Evol."},{"key":"ref002","article-title":"Rabies occurrence in Israel","year":"2005"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.1111\/zph.12535","article-title":"Lleida bat lyssavirus isolation in Miniopterus schreibersii in France","volume":"66","author":"Picard-Meyer","year":"2019","journal-title":"Zoonoses Public Health"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.10416.1","article-title":"Lyssaviruses and rabies: current conundrums, concerns, contradictions and controversies","volume":"6","author":"Rupprecht","year":"2017","journal-title":"F1000Res"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1111\/zph.12002","article-title":"Bat rabies surveillance in Europe","volume":"60","author":"Schatz","year":"2013","journal-title":"Zoonoses Public Health"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"936","DOI":"10.3390\/v11100936","article-title":"Cross-protection of inactivated rabies vaccines for veterinary use against bat lyssaviruses occurring in Europe","volume":"11","author":"Servat","year":"2019","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed4010031","article-title":"Bats and viruses: emergence of novel lyssaviruses and association of bats with viral zoonoses in the EU","volume":"4","author":"Shipley","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trop Med Infect Dis."},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1015","DOI":"10.1111\/zph.12519","article-title":"Bokeloh bat lyssavirus isolation in a natterer\u2019s bat, Poland","volume":"65","author":"Smreczak","year":"2018","journal-title":"Zoonoses Public Health"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1006041","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1006041","article-title":"Large-scale phylogenomic analysis reveals the complex evolutionary history of rabies virus in multiple carnivore hosts","volume":"12","author":"Troupin","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLoS Pathog."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e107539","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0107539","article-title":"Right place, wrong species: a 20-year review of rabies virus cross-species transmission among terrestrial mammals in the United States","volume":"9","author":"Wallace","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104782","DOI":"10.1016\/j.isci.2022.104782","article-title":"Revising the paradigm: are bats really pathogen reservoirs or do they possess an efficient immune system?","volume":"25","author":"Weinberg","year":"2022","journal-title":"IScience"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5500","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2018.06.061","article-title":"Rabies vaccines: WHO position paper, April 2018 \u2013 Recommendations","volume":"36","year":"2018","journal-title":"Vaccine"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1707522\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]],"date-time":"2025-12-08T14:09:45Z","timestamp":1765202985000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1707522\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]]},"references-count":37,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1707522"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1707522","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-302X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-302X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]]},"article-number":"1707522"}}