W7:Zoonotic Epidemiology and Canine Rabies

Flashcards covering the taxonomy, transmission, symptoms, history, and management strategies for rabies as discussed in the Zoonotic Epidemiology lecture.

Proactive culling

Reducing the size of a host or vector population before disease transmission occurs, based on the assumption that transmission is density-dependent.

Reactive culling

Reducing the host or vector population after disease transmission has occurred to limit further spread, such as creating a cordon sanitaire.

Selective culling

The removal of infected (but ideally not yet infectious) animals to reduce transmission, which requires effective surveillance and monitoring.

Lyssavirus

The genus to which rabies belongs, within the family Rhabdoviridae and order Mononegavirales.

Negative-sense RNA virus

A virus where the RNA is the antisense strand that does not code for mRNA directly; it must be transcribed into sense (positive) RNA before translation.

Rabies viral proteins

The five proteins coded by the rabies genome: Nucleoprotein (N), Phosphoprotein (P), Matrix protein (M), Glycoprotein (G), and Polymerase (L).

Aravan virus

A species of Lyssavirus whose principle host is the insectivorous bat (Myotis blythi) in Central Asia.

Mokola virus

A Lyssavirus isolated from cats and small mammals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Canine rabies

A category of rabies where the primary host is dogs and humans serve as secondary (dead-end) hosts.

Sylvatic rabies

A category of rabies where the primary host is wildlife, with livestock or humans acting as secondary (dead-end) hosts.

Incubation period

The variable time between exposure and the onset of symptoms, typically $2-16 ext{ weeks}$ in dogs and $2-12 ext{ weeks}$ in humans.

Infectious period

The period during which an infected individual can transmit the virus, typically less than $5 ext{ days}$ in dogs.

Encephalitic rabies

The "furious" form of the disease characterized by increased aggression and, in humans, symptoms like hydrophobia and hypersalivation.

Paralytic rabies

The "dumb" form of the disease characterized by paralysis and reduced aggression.

Hydrophobia

A symptom exhibited by approximately 80 ext{%} of humans with the furious form of rabies, involving a fear of water.

Louis Pasteur

The scientist who investigated rabies starting in 1880 and successfully treated 9-year-old Joseph Meister with a vaccine in 1885.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)

A major treatment component consisting of immediate administration of rabies immunoglobulin and a course of vaccinations after potential exposure.

Milwaukee protocol

A treatment developed by Rodney Willoughby involving an induced coma to allow the immune system time to generate antibodies while protecting brain function.

Social perturbation

The disruption of social hierarchy and increase in aggression/fighting caused by culling individuals within a stable animal population.

Reproductive number ($R_0$)

The mean number of secondary cases one case will generate over its infectious period; for rabies, this value is typically between $1$ and $2$.

Vaccination coverage threshold

The level of population immunity required to stop transmission; while it can work at 20-40 ext{%}, values above 60 ext{%} are generally needed for success.

Zero by 30

The World Health Organization (WHO) target for reaching zero human rabies deaths by the year 2030.