| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立屏東科技大學 === 野生動物保育研究所 === 106 === Taiwan had been rabies free in the past 50 years before the 2013 July outbreak of ferret badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) associated rabies. It is important to know the reservoir species and how rabies spread for the epidemic prevention. Because the rabies virus must propagate in the host, the evolution of the virus must be consistent with the host. In Taiwan, rabies virus has a geographical genetic structure and rabies epidemic area have obvious boundaries. Large rivers may be the geographical barrier of rabies transmission. In this research, we used genetic markers (1) to analyze the population genetic structure of Formosan ferret badger and compare this structure with that of rabies virus to interpret whether the ferret badger was the host of rabies virus in recent decades; (2) to analyze the gene flow of ferret badgers between the boundaries of rabies epidemic areas and major rivers. Based on genotypes of 15 microsatellite loci from 840 Formosan ferret badgers and a partial mitochondrial COII sequences from 757 ferret badgers, we found that ferret badgers also show a geographical genetic structure, but does not correspond to the location of the rabies virus cluster boundary ,meaning that differentiation of rabies virus did not happen in ferret badger. There was no significant genetic differentiation in ferret badger populations between both sides of Da-An River (western border of epidemic area). Rabies could further spread across rivers. The Mu-Gua river (eastern border of the epidemic) has a higher genetic differentiation, which could be a temporary rabies barrier.
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