Citation

Hatz CF, Kuenzli E, Funk M. Infect. Dis. Clin. North Am. 2012; 26(3): 739-753.

Affiliation

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, PO Box, CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Petersplatz, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Communicable Diseases, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, CH-8001, Zurich, Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.idc.2012.05.001

PMID

22963781

Abstract

Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease, transmitted only in mammals. Terrestrial rabies, predominantly transmitted by dogs, is the most important rabies cycle threatening humans. The causative neurotropic virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus of the family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus. This genus contains several rabies-related viruses. All variants are known or suspected to cause rabieslike diseases. Transmission occurs by the virus entering through the skin or the mucosa after bites, scratches, or preexisting injuries contaminated by the saliva of an infected mammal. Only 51 human rabies cases that have not been transmitted by animal bites are described.

Language: en