Rabies: Transmission, Symptoms and Treatment - Why is it Important to Get Your Pet Vaccinated?

Rabies has horrified civilizations for thousands of years, ever since it became clear that a rabid animal's bite guaranteed an inevitably awful death. The term "rabies" derives from either the Sanskrit "rabhas" (to do violence) or the Latin "rabere" (to rage). Rabies was known as "lyssa" in ancient Greece (violence). The rabies virus is now placed under the genus LyssaVirus."

In 3000 B.C. India, the god of death was accompanied by a dog as his ambassador. Rabid dogs continue to kill 20,000 people in modern-day India each year. In 2300 B.C., the Mosaic Esmuna Code of Babylon had the first documented mention of rabies causing mortality in dogs and people.

What is the Virus?

Rabies is caused by an RNA virus of the Rhabdovirus family, genus Lyssavirus. Typically, rabies viruses are maintained in a single wildlife reservoir species within a geographic area and spread mostly through interspecies transmission cycles with occasional interspecies spillover. 

In Georgia, for example, the raccoon is the principal wildlife reservoir for rabies, with the raccoon rabies virus variation spreading to other wildlife species (e.g., foxes, skunks, etc.) and domestic animals. Variants of the bat rabies virus can be found across the contiguous United States.

Rabies is an encased RNA virus that cannot survive in the environment (CDC, 2003; Johnson, 2006). Once outside the host, the virus is swiftly destroyed by drying and ultraviolet light, rendering fomites and bodies of water (e.g. water) unfit for human consumption.

Transmission :

The rabies virus is spread through direct contact with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal (for example, through damaged skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth).

Rabies is usually transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Non-bite exposure to rabies, including scratches, abrasions, or open wounds exposed to saliva or other potentially infectious material from a rabid animal, are also conceivable but uncommon.

Other sorts of interaction, such as caressing a rabid animal or coming into touch with a rabid animal's blood, urine, or excrement, are not connected with a risk of infection and are not considered rabies exposures.

Other than bites and scrapes, other means of transmission are infrequent. Inhaling aerosolized rabies virus is one potential non-bite route of exposure, however, most people, with the exception of laboratory personnel, will not come into contact with rabies virus aerosol.

Exposure to an infected person's bite or non-bite could theoretically spread rabies, although no such cases have been documented. Touching a person with rabies or coming into contact with non-infectious fluid or tissue (urine, blood, faeces) is not connected with an increased risk of infection.

When the rabies virus dries out and is exposed to sunlight, it loses its contagious properties. Different environmental variables influence how quickly the virus becomes inactive, but in general, if the virus-containing substance is dry, the virus is noninfectious.

Symptoms And Signs:

The rabies virus must go to the brain after being exposed it before it can cause symptoms. The incubation period is the interval between exposure and the onset of symptoms. It could linger for weeks or months. The incubation period may differ depending on the place of exposure (how far away from the brain it is), the type of rabies virus, and any existing immunity.

The earliest signs of rabies may be similar to those of the flu, such as weakness or pain, fever, or headache. There may also be soreness, prickling, or itching at the site of the bite. These symptoms can linger for several days.

The symptoms lead to cognitive impairment, anxiety, confusion, and agitation. The person may develop delirium, strange behaviour, hallucinations, hydrophobia (fear of water), and insomnia as the disease worsens. The acute phase of the sickness usually lasts 2 to 10 days. When clinical symptoms of rabies arise, the condition is almost always fatal, and treatment is usually supportive. 

There have been less than 20 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies. Only a few individuals had no prior or post-exposure prophylactic history.

Rabies symptoms, indications, and outcomes in animals might vary. Animal symptoms are frequently similar to human symptoms. These include nonspecific early signs, acute neurologic symptoms, and, eventually, death.

Precautions To be Taken:

You can protect your pet from rabies in a variety of ways.

To begin, take your pet to the veterinarian on a regular basis and keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all cats, ferrets, and dogs. Second, keep your pets under control by keeping cats and ferrets indoors and dogs under constant supervision. Third, spay or neuter your pets to help limit the number of unwanted pets that may not receive proper care or vaccinations on a regular basis. 

Finally, contact animal control to have all stray animals removed from your neighbourhood because they may be unvaccinated or sick.

Importance of Vaccinating Animals 

You can protect your pet from rabies in a variety of ways. While wildlife is far more likely to be rabid than domestic animals in the US, people have far more contact with domestic animals than with nature. When your pets or other domestic animals are bitten by rabid wild animals, they can become infected, and this form of "spillover" raises the risk to humans.

Keeping your pets' rabies vaccinations up to date will protect them from contracting the disease from wildlife and, as a result, prevent possible transmission to your family or other people.

Treatment:

Rabies is diagnosed in animals using the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test, which detects the presence of rabies virus antigens in brain tissue. Several tests are required in people.

Rapid and reliable laboratory identification of rabies in humans and other animals is critical for timely post-exposure prophylactic administration. A diagnostic laboratory can detect whether or not an animal is rabid in a matter of hours and notify the appropriate medical personnel. If the animal is not rabid, the laboratory results may rescue a patient from unnecessary physical and psychological pain, as well as financial responsibilities.

Furthermore, laboratory identification of positive rabies cases may help define current epidemiologic patterns of disease and provide useful information for the creation of rabies control initiatives.

The nature of rabies disease necessitates laboratory tests that are standardised, quick, sensitive, specific, cost-effective, and dependable.

Written By: Greeshma Chowdary

Edited By: Nidhi Jha