Wildlife Rabies Virus Dynamics in Alabama, USA, 2020-25

Wildlife rabies is enzootic in the USA apart from Hawaii. This viral zoonosis perpetuates using mammalian reservoirs within the Chiroptera and Carnivora. In the southeastern USA, the predominant rabies virus variants are associated with raccoons (Procyon lotor) and bats. Besides being enzootic for bat rabies, Alabama is the westernmost USA state for raccoon rabies perpetuation. To assess the recent viral dynamics of wildlife rabies in Alabama, 65 samples of rabid animals were acquired from public health submissions during 2020-25. Rabies virus nucleoprotein gene sequences were generated for phylogenetic analysis. Two major viral lineages were identified: one lineage was aligned with raccoons and the other with bats. Host spillover infections of raccoon rabies virus were detected in domestic animals and other mesocarnivores. No bat rabies viruses were found in non-bat hosts, but several examples of interspecific transmission among bats were apparent. Such data are useful for tracking epidemiologic trends locally, to determine suspected host shifts, and for regional introspection related to management and potential translocation events.