Rabies virus host range

The Infectious Path of the Rabies Virus. An animal is bitten by a rabid animal. Rabies virus from the infected saliva enters the wound. Rabies virus travels through the nerves to the spinal cord and brain. This process can last approximately 3 to 12 weeks. The animal has no signs of illness during this time. When it reaches the brain, the virus multiplies rapidly and passes to the salivary glands.

The animal begins to show signs of the disease. Many organ procurement organizations have added a screening question about rabies exposure to their procedures for evaluating the suitability of each donor. Bite and non-bite exposures from an infected person could theoretically transmit rabies, but no such cases have been documented. Casual contact, such as touching a person with rabies or contact with non-infectious fluid or tissue urine, blood, feces , is not associated with risk for infection.

Contact with someone who is receiving rabies vaccination does not constitute rabies exposure, does not pose a risk for infection, and does not require postexposure prophylaxis. Rabies virus becomes noninfectious when it dries out and when it is exposed to sunlight. Different environmental conditions affect the rate at which the virus becomes inactive, but in general, if the material containing the virus is dry, the virus can be considered noninfectious.

All mammals can get rabies, but only a few species are important as reservoirs for the disease. We developed a spatially explicit individual-based model to examine the effect of spatiotemporal variation in host home range size on the spatial spread rate, persistence and incidence of rabies virus RABV in raccoons Procyon lotor.

We tested the hypothesis that variation in home range size increases RABV spread and decreases vaccination effectiveness in host populations following pathogen invasion into a vaccination zone. We simulated raccoon demography and RABV dynamics across a range of magnitudes and variances in weekly home range size for raccoons. We examined how variable home range size influenced the relative effectiveness of three components of oral rabies vaccination ORV programmes targeting raccoons-timing and frequency of bait delivery, width of the ORV zone and proportion of hosts immunized.

There is no established treatment for rabies once symptoms have begun; without post exposure prophylaxis, almost all patients succumb to the disease or its complications within a few weeks of onset. Supportive therapy includes intubation, sedation, mechanical ventilation, fluid and electrolyte management, nutrition, and management of intercurrent illnesses and complications.

Casey Chosewood, M. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. David L. Open Menu. Transmission Skin Exposure Needlestick, bite, or scratch : Direct skin contact with rabies virus; contact with infected animals or animal products. Skin Exposure Needlestick or scratch : Immediately go to the sink and thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes.

Decontaminate any exposed skin surfaces with an antiseptic scrub solution. Splash Affecting Garments: Remove garments that may have become soiled or contaminated and place them in a double red plastic bag. Immediately go to the sink and thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes.