If you have ever watched the movie Old Yeller you would be very familiar with the disease called rabies. It was the disease that killed Old Yeller, the dog of a Texas pioneer family. Rabies is a real disease caused by the rabies virus (look at the bottom picture on the page). It is a unique virus in that it is bullet shaped. Most mammals can be infected with the rabies virus and rabies is nearly always a fatal infection. Only a couple of people have survived a rabies virus infection. Rabies is acquired by bites from people or animals that have rabies. The virus is found in high concentrations in the saliva. After infection by the virus, it then goes to the brain via the nerves and causes severe damage to certain areas of the brain.
Fortunately, there is a vaccine that can be given to people to prevent rabies infections. This vaccine can also be given to a person after they have already been infected by the rabies virus (post-exposure). This vaccine still protects people post-exposure because it takes the virus a long time to get from the bite site to the brain. There are currently three different rabies vaccines.
A recent article in ABCNEWS indicates that bats are becoming a major source of rabies infections of humans in the United States. Since 1980, 17 of the 32 cases of human rabies in the United States have been associated with bats. Most bats do not carry the rabies virus, but the Centers for Disease Control suggests people stay away from bats.
For more information on rabies and the rabies virus, go to the following sites.
Read the lecture notes from Tulane University.
Here is good concise information about rabies and protection from rabies from the CDC.
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
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