Molecular characterization of a rabies virus isolate from a rabid dog in Hanzhong District, Shaanxi Province, China.

A canine rabies virus, Shaanxi-HZ-6, was isolated in Shaanxi Province, China, in 2009. Its genome has been completely sequenced and found to be closely related to the China I rabies virus strains widely circulating in China. The genomic length was 11,923 base pairs, and the overall organization of the genome was similar to that of other rabies virus isolates. Compared with isolates CQ92 and J, 84 amino acid substitutions (7 in the N gene, 15 in P, 6 in M, 25 in G, 31 in L) were observed in strain Shaanxi-HZ-6. Amino acid substitutions of R264H and V332I were noted in the G protein antigenic site I and site III, respectively. Residue 333 of the G protein, which is considered to be associated with pathogenicity, was Arg in Shaanxi-HZ-6. These and other substitutions may help provide an explanation why the China I lineage strain maintains its prevalence in China.