Rabies in animals

This article is about rabies in animals. For rabies in humans, see Rabies. For other uses, see Rabies (disambiguation).
Close-up of a dog during late-stage ("dumb") paralytic rabies. Animals with "dumb" rabies appear depressed, lethargic, and uncoordinated. Gradually they become completely paralyzed. When their throat and jaw muscles are paralyzed, the animals will drool and have difficulty swallowing.

In animals, rabies is a viral zoonotic neuro-invasive disease which causes inflammation in the brain and is usually fatal. Rabies, caused by the rabies virus, primarily infects mammals. In the laboratory it has been found that birds can be infected, as well as cell cultures from birds, reptiles and insects.[1] The brains of animals with rabies deteriorate. As a result, they tend to behave bizarrely and often aggressively, increasing the chances that they will bite another animal or a person and transmit the disease.

In addition to irrational aggression, the virus can induce hydrophobia ("fear of water")—wherein attempts to drink water or swallow cause painful spasms of the muscles in the throat or larynx—and an increase in saliva production. This aids the likelihood of transmission, as the virus multiplies and accumulates in the salivary glands and is transmitted primarily through biting.[2] The accumulation of saliva can sometimes create a "foaming at the mouth" effect, which is commonly associated with rabies in animals in the public perception and in popular culture;[3][4][5] however, rabies does not always present as such, and may be carried without typical symptoms being displayed.[3]

Most cases of humans contracting rabies from infected animals are in developing nations. In 2010, an estimated 26,000 people died from the disease, down from 54,000 in 1990.[6] The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all transmissions of the disease to humans.[7] Rabies in dogs, humans and other animals can be prevented through vaccination.

  1. ^ "CARTER John, SAUNDERS Venetia - Virology : Principles and Applications – Page:175 – 2007 – John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England – 978-0-470-02386-0 (HB)"
  2. ^ "Rabies". AnimalsWeCare.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b Wilson PJ, Rohde RE, Oertli EH, Willoughby Jr RE (2019). Rabies: Clinical Considerations and Exposure Evaluations (1st ed.). Elsevier. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-323-63979-8. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "How Do You Know if an Animal Has Rabies? | CDC Rabies and Kids". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "Rabies (for Parents)". KidsHealth.org. Nemours KidsHealth. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, Abraham J, Adair T, Aggarwal R, et al. (Dec 15, 2012). "Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010" (PDF). Lancet. 380 (9859): 2095–128. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61728-0. hdl:10536/DRO/DU:30050819. PMC 10790329. PMID 23245604. S2CID 1541253. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  7. ^ "Rabies". World Health Organization (WHO). Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.