1. Rabies

2. Rabies
Kendra McQueen
Jennifer Rasmussen
Edward Guevara

3. Description
Rabies is an infectious disease caused by the Lyssavirus of the Rhabdovirdae family that attacks the nervous system. These are the only known viruses to travel along the nerves after infection. The virus is usually in the saliva of a rabid animal and the route of transmission is nearly always by a bite. By causing the infected animal to be exceptionally aggressive, the virus ensures its transmission to the next host. Transmission through the mucous membranes has occurred by people exploring caves populated by rabid bats.
After a bite the virus enters the body and starts to replicate before it moves to the peripheral nerves. It moves slowly in the nervous tissue jumping from nerve cell to nerve cell where it eventually reaches the CNS. At the brain it causes encephalitis and the typical symptoms of rabies appear. The incubation period for rabies is the time it takes to get from bite to brain which can be anywhere from 2 weeks to several, months. Bites on the hand and face can move much quicker to the CNS because of the many nerve endings found at these sites. As soon as the virus gets to the brain it travels to the salivary glands, replicates in abundance and is shed in the saliva. At this point the animal becomes infectious and can transmit the disease through a bite.

4. Structure
The Rabies virion is bullet shaped and contains a non-segmented, negative stranded RNA genome that encodes five proteins. It is approximately 180nm long and 75nm wide. Its RNA measures at 3000nm.
The RNA is encased by nucleoprotein, which is covered by the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) helical core. Phosphoprotein and polymerase are associated with the RNP. A matrix protein covers the RNP and is surrounded by an envelope.
The surface of the envelope is covered by around 400 spike-like glycoprotein10nm long.

6. Replication Attachment: the virus attaches to the nerve cell.
Penetration: the virus enters the cell
Uncoating: the envelope is removed.
Transcription and translation: the virus replicates.
Budding: the new virus leaves the host cell and attaches to other nerve cells and spreads from brain to the rest of the body by the nerves.

7. Rabies in humans
The incubation period—the time from exposure to the rabies virus until symptoms appear—is usually 4 to 6 weeks. In rare cases, the incubation period can last from several days to more than a year after exposure to the virus.
If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to the rabies virus, it is important to seek medical attention before symptoms develop. Rabies is nearly always fatal if not treated before the appearance of symptoms.

8. Signs and Symptoms Pain at bite site Fever Malaise Fatigue Anorexia
Hydrophobia
Inability to Swallow
Cough
Nausea
Vomiting
Sore Throat
Muscle pain
Headache
Nuchal Rigidity
Neurological Changes
CNS Damage
Hallucinations
Seizures
Alt Consciousness
Lethargy
Coma
Death

9. Is rabies a common disease?
In the United States in 2001, there were 7,437 cases of rabies reported in animals. Most were in wild animals.  One case was reported in a human.   Rabies occurs in almost every state. Hawaii is the only state that has not had a single native  case of rabies in animals or humans. As you can see by this map, rabies is most common in the eastern United States.

13. Rabies Diagnosis dFA Test

14. Rabies Diagnosis dFA Test

15. Prevention Rabies is preventable! Be a responsible pet owner:
Keep vaccinations up-to-date for all dogs, cats and ferrets. This requirement is important not only to keep your pets from getting rabies, but also to provide a barrier of protection to you, if your animal is bitten by a rabid wild animal.
Keep your pets under direct supervision so they do not come in contact with wild animals. If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately.
Call your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood. They may be unvaccinated and could be infected by the disease.
Spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or regularly vaccinated.

16. Prevention Avoid direct contact with unfamiliar animals:
Enjoy wild animals (raccoons, skunks, foxes) from afar. Do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home. Do not try to nurse sick animals to health. Call animal control or an animal rescue agency for assistance.
Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly. "Love your own, leave other animals alone" is a good principle for children to learn.
Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas, where they might come in contact with people and pets.

17. Prevention
When traveling abroad, avoid direct contact with wild animals and be especially careful around dogs in developing countries. Rabies is common in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America where dogs are the major reservoir of rabies. Tens of thousands of people die of rabies each year in these countries. Before traveling abroad, consult with a health care provider, travel clinic, or your health department about the risk of exposure to rabies, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and how you should handle an exposure, should it arise.
Pre-exposure vaccinations are intended for high risk people, such as: veterinarians, lab workers, animal handlers, wildlife officers, those who are in contact with rabid bats, skunks, raccoons, cats, dogs or other species at risk of having rabies and international traveler.
Note: people at high risk should have a blood sample tested every six months and receive a booster vaccine (when necessary), in addition to a pre-exposure vaccine.

18. Treatment
There is no treatment for rabies after symptoms of the disease appear. However, two decades ago scientists developed an extremely effective new rabies vaccine regimen that provides immunity to rabies when administered after an exposure (post-exposure prophylaxis) or for protection before an exposure occurs (preexposure prophylaxis). Although rabies among humans is rare in the United States, every year an estimated 18,000 people receive rabies preexposure prophylaxis and an additional 40,000 receive post-exposure prophylaxis.

19. Treatment Preexposure prophylaxis
Preexposure vaccination is recommended for persons in high-risk groups, such as veterinarians, animal handlers, and certain laboratory workers. Other persons whose activities bring them into frequent contact with rabies virus or potentially rabid bats, raccoons, skunks, cats, dogs, or other species at risk of having rabies should also be considered for preexposure prophylaxis. In addition, international travelers likely to come in contact with animals in areas of enzootic dog rabies which lack immediate access to appropriate medical care, including biologics, should be considered for preexposure prophylaxis.

20. Treatment Post-exposure prophylaxis
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is indicated for persons possibly exposed to a rabid animal. Possible exposures include animal bites,  or mucous membrane contamination with infectious tissue, such as saliva. {For more information on types of exposures, PEP should begin as soon as possible after an exposure. There have been no vaccine failures in the United States (i.e. someone developed rabies) when PEP was given promptly and appropriately after an exposure.
Administration of rabies PEP is a medical urgency, not a medical emergency. Physicians should evaluate each possible exposure to rabies and as necessary consult with local or state public health officials regarding the need for rabies prophylaxis.
In the United States, PEP consists of a regimen of one dose of immune globulin and five doses of rabies vaccine over a 28-day period. Rabies immune globulin and the first dose of rabies vaccine should be given as soon as possible after exposure. Additional doses of rabies vaccine should be given on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 after the first vaccination. Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in your arm, like a flu or tetanus vaccine.

21. Treatment Summary
No treatment for rabies after symptoms of disease appear.
Quarantine and/or vaccination to eradiate disease.
Wash wound with a special substance containing anti-rabies serum and water.
Get a post-exposure prophylaxis injection of HRIG, human rabies immune globulin.
Follow up with the recommended subsequent treatment, which is to receive five. injections of HDCV, human diploid cell vaccine.
Sometimes Hyper-immune serum globulin is used in addition.
Note: Immediate treatment after exposure is important, as well as, maintaining post-exposure prophylaxis.

22. Sources Images http://www.vet.ksu.edu/depts/rabies/images/rabstruc.jpg
CDC
Yahoo Health
Textbook