Disease of the Day – Rabies

General information on rabies

Rabies is preventable, viral disease of mammals

From Latin word meaning rage

The virus was isolated in 1885 by Lewis Pasteur and he developed to the first vaccine

Transmission of rabies

Most commonly transmitted through the bite or saliva of a rabbit animal

In rare cases aerosol through mucous membranes, corneal transplants

Then virus spreads from peripheral nerve to brain and spinal cord

All species of mammals are susceptible to rabies virus infection

Mostly associate rabid dog

Domesticated, cats, cows, etc.

Main reservoirs – ferrets, raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats

Symptoms and signs of rabies in humans

incubation period is typically one to three months

First symptoms – nonspecific flu, like signs – malaise, fever, or headache

Discomfort or paresthesia at the site of exposure

Then symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, spasms, anxiety, confusion, agitation, hydrophobia

Progression to delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia

Signs and symptoms in rapid animals

Fever, appetite, loss, behavior change

Then they will progress to eating anything, aggression, restlessness, seizures

Finally, appearance of choking, inability to swallow, drooling, foaming of saliva

Causes of rabies

Virus in Rhabdoviridae family

Genus Alyssa virus

Negative stranded RNA genome

Bullet shaped virion

Treatment for rabies

Thorough washing of the wound with soap and water

One dose of immune globulin, and four doses of rabies vaccine over a 14 day. Period.

40,000 people receive PEP treatment each year

If late clinical signs present

Nearly always fatal

Only a handful have survived after seeing symptoms

Milwaukee protocol – therapeutic coma

Prevention of rabies

Pre-exposure vaccination

Be a responsible, pet owner – vaccinate

Enjoy wild animals from afar

Avoid dogs and developing countries

Frequency of rabies

Worldwide, the dog is the most common for rabies

US spends approximately 300 million each year fighting

Early 1900s –100 deaths per year in the US

1990s – one to two deaths each year in the US

90% of all animal cases reported an annually to CDC now occur in wildlife

30 to 55% of documented animals rabies cases in the US occur in reckons

In Nebraska, the main reservoir is skunks

Prevalence of rabies

Hotspot in the US is the East Coast

No rabies ever reported in Hawaii

Australia, west and north Europe, and parts of Indonesia have never reported any rabies ever