292 Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology Editors R.W. Compans, Atlanta/Georgia M.D. Cooper, Birmingham/Alabama T. Honjo, Kyoto · H. Koprowski, Philadelphia/Pennsylvania F. Melchers, Basel · M.B.A. Oldstone, La Jolla/California S. Olsnes, Oslo · M. Potter, Bethesda/Maryland P.K. Vogt, La Jolla/California · H. Wagner, Munich Z.F. Fu (Ed.) The World of Rhabdoviruses With 27 Figures and 7 Tables 123 Professor Dr. Zhen F. Fu, DVM, PhD Department of Pathology College of Veterinary Medicine University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602 USA e-mail:
[email protected] Cover figure by Zhen F. Fu Library of Congress Catalog Number 72-152360 ISBN-10 3-540-24011-X Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York ISBN-13 978-3-540-24011-2 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September, 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer is a part of Springer Science+Business Media springeronline.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005 Printed in The Netherlands The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Product liability: The publisher cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information about dosage and application contained in this book. In every individual case the user must check such information by consulting the relevant literature. Editor: Dr. Paul Roos, Heidelberg Desk editor: Anne Clauss, Heidelberg Production editor: Nadja Kroke, Leipzig Cover design: design & production GmbH, Heidelberg Typesetting: LE-TEX Jelonek, Schmidt & Vöckler GbR, Leipzig Printed on acid-free paper SPIN 11001713 21/3150/YL – 5 4 3 2 1 0 Preface Rhabdoviruses have a very wide host range and have been isolated from plants, insects, and almost from all vertebrates including fish and primates. The Rhabdoviridae family consists of six genera which have all been associated with diseases, either in animals or plants. While rhabdoviruses that are the etiological agents of human diseases can cause serious public health problems, other members of this family that infect domestic livestock and agricultural plants can also cause enormous economic loss. Despite the significance of rhabdoviruses for public health and agriculture, the last book exclusively devoted to these viruses was published in 1987. The first classification of rhabdoviruses was based on the distinct bullet-shaped morphology that is characteristic of members of this family. However, using modern gene technology, which allows the complete analysis of entire viral genomes, it was recently found that diff