Any mammal may become infected with the rabies virus and develop symptoms, including humans.
Most
animals can be infected by the virus and can
transmit the disease to humans. Infected bats,
monkeys, raccoons, foxes, skunks, cattle, wolves, dogs
or cats provide the greatest risk to
humans.
Rabies may also spread through exposure to infected domestic farm animals, groundhogs,
weasels
and other wild carnivores.
Squirrels,
rodents and rabbits are seldom infected.
What Were You Exposed To?
Rabies virus is transmitted through specific bodily excretions and tissue.
Saliva and Brain/Nervous tissue are
considered
infectious materials that can transmit rabies virus. If contact with either of these has
occurred the type of exposure should
be evaluated to determine if PEP is necessary.
Contact such as petting or handling an animal, or contact with blood, urine
or feces does not
constitute an exposure, and therefore no
postexposure prophylaxis is needed in these situations.
Rabies
virus becomes noninfectious by desiccation and ultraviolet irradiation. 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.
What Type of Exposure Occurred?
Rabies is transmitted only when the virus is introduced into a bite wound,
open cuts in skin, or onto mucous membranes
(such as the mouth or eyes).
When an exposure has occurred, the likelihood of rabies infection varies with the nature and
extent of
that exposure. Under most circumstances,
two categories of exposure -- bite and nonbite -- should be considered.
Bite
Any penetration of the skin by teeth constitutes a bite exposure. All bites, regardless of body site,
represent a potential risk
of rabies
transmission, but that risk varies with the species of biting animal, the anatomic site of the bite, and
the severity of
the wound.
Bites by some animals, such as bats, can inflict minor injury and thus be difficult to detect.
Nonbite
Nonbite exposures from terrestrial animals rarely cause rabies. However, occasional reports of rabies
transmission by nonbite exposures suggest that
such exposures should be evaluated for possible post-exposure prophylaxis( PEP) administration.
The contamination of open wounds, abrasions, mucous membranes, or theoretically, scratches (potentially
contaminated with infectious material from a
rabid animal) also constitutes a nonbite exposure.
Other contact by itself, such as petting a rabid animal and contact with blood, urine, or feces of a rabid
animal, does not constitute an exposure and is not an indication for PEP.
