Citation

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 1953; 2(51): 1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1953, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Dr. E. J. Witte, Veterinary, Pennsylvania Department of Health, reports an episode which occurred in the State. In the early morning hours of November 28, 1953, patrons of a cafe noticed a bat flying to and fro above the heads of the crowd. No one remembered seeing the bat fly into the cafe on this cold morning. The patrons were noticeably disturbed by the appearance of the bat. A number of them gave chase to the animal and finally flung it down where it remained motionless as though dead. When one of the men picked up the seemingly lifeless creature, he was promptly bitten on the finger by the not-so-dead bat. The reaction of the man was prompt; he strangled the offender and then tossed it out into the back alley. The man reported immediately to a hospital where he was given wound treatment. The information was relayed to the Health Department the same morning via a taxi driver and a newspaper reporter. The carcass of the bat was recovered but, by this time, it had been largely devoured by scavengers. The remains were sent to the laboratory, but the specimen was inadequate for proper examination. Anti-rabies treatment, however, was recommended for the patient. The behavior of the bat might be considered to be abnormal only in respect to its flying at this chilly season of the year. The Game Commission states that occasionally bats are seen flying on cold nights following disturbance of their resting quarters. In this instance, the bat was provoked to attack and did not do so on its own.