Rabies
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Basics
Description
Viral infection transmitted by mammals that causes CNS dysfunction- Highest case fatality rate of any known infectious disease
Etiology
- Epidemiology:
- 35,000–59,000 people die per year worldwide
- Especially common in Southeast Asia, Philippines, Africa, South America, and Indian subcontinent
- The U.S. only has 2–3 human cases per year
- Most clinical cases in the U.S. from foreign travel and bat exposure
- In the U.S., bats are the most common reservoir (30.9%), followed by raccoons (29.4%), skunks (24.8%), foxes (5.9%), cats (4.4%), cattle (1.5%), and dogs (1.2%)
- Worldwide, dog bites are most common vector
- Squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, and rabbits can also be infected but there has never been a reported case of human transmission
- Few rabies cases have been reported in transplant patients
- Pathophysiology:
- Negative-stranded RNA virus, family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus
- Progression of infection:
- Virus multiplies in local tissue
- Virus enters peripheral nerves and travels to the CNS
- Once in the CNS, rapid replication and dissemination causes neuronal dysfunction
- The virus then spreads back out along peripheral nerves to salivary glands, skin, cornea, and other organs
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Basics
Description
Viral infection transmitted by mammals that causes CNS dysfunction- Highest case fatality rate of any known infectious disease
Etiology
- Epidemiology:
- 35,000–59,000 people die per year worldwide
- Especially common in Southeast Asia, Philippines, Africa, South America, and Indian subcontinent
- The U.S. only has 2–3 human cases per year
- Most clinical cases in the U.S. from foreign travel and bat exposure
- In the U.S., bats are the most common reservoir (30.9%), followed by raccoons (29.4%), skunks (24.8%), foxes (5.9%), cats (4.4%), cattle (1.5%), and dogs (1.2%)
- Worldwide, dog bites are most common vector
- Squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, and rabbits can also be infected but there has never been a reported case of human transmission
- Few rabies cases have been reported in transplant patients
- Pathophysiology:
- Negative-stranded RNA virus, family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus
- Progression of infection:
- Virus multiplies in local tissue
- Virus enters peripheral nerves and travels to the CNS
- Once in the CNS, rapid replication and dissemination causes neuronal dysfunction
- The virus then spreads back out along peripheral nerves to salivary glands, skin, cornea, and other organs
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