Shimoni bat virus is a ''

Lyssavirus ''Lyssavirus'' (from the Greek ''lyssa'' "rage, fury, rabies" and the Latin '' vīrus'') is a genus of RNA viruses in the family ''Rhabdoviridae'', order '' Mononegavirales''. Mammals, including humans, can serve as natural hosts. The genus ...

'' which was discovered in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in 2009. It bears significant similarities to the ''Lyssavirus'' Lagos bat virus. The virus was isolated from the brain of a dead Commerson's leaf-nosed bat ('' Hipposideros commersoni''), which is likely the

natural reservoir In Infection, infectious disease ecology and epidemiology, a natural reservoir, also known as a disease reservoir or a reservoir of infection, is the population of organisms or the specific environment in which an infectious pathogen naturally li ...

of the virus.

References

Lyssaviruses Bat virome {{virus-stub