The comparison of full G and N gene sequences from turkish rabies virus field strains

•In this study, the following was performed: Rabies virus field strains from mammalian animals were molecularly characterized.•All sequences were compared by using n and g gene obtained from Genbank database.•The results showed that the presence of cosmopolitan lineage of rabies viruses in circulation, Turkey. The rabies infection is a zoonotic viral disease in humans and is spread by both wild and domestic carnivores. This study aimed to molecularly characterize the field strains of the rabies virus circulating in Turkey between 2013 and 2020. Brain samples obtained from 16 infected animals (eight cattle, one donkey, three foxes, three dogs, and one marten) were tested. Full nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein (G) gene sequences were used to determine the genetic and antigenic characteristics of the rabies virus field strains. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the 16 field strains identified in Turkey belonged to the Cosmopolitan lineage.