Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Human rabies: a reemerging disease in Costa Rica?
- Journal:
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Year:
- 2003
- Authors:
- Badilla, Xiomara et al.
- Affiliation:
- Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
In September 2001, two cases of rabies in humans were reported in Costa Rica after the disease had not been seen in people for 31 years. Both individuals lived in a rural area where cattle were at risk of being bitten by bats, but neither had a clear history of being bitten by a rabid animal. The type of rabies virus found in these patients was linked to the Vampire Bat, which feeds on blood, and it was determined that a sick cat had transmitted the virus to them. This situation highlights the potential for rabies to reemerge in areas where it had previously been eliminated.
Abstract
Two human rabies cases caused by a bat-associated virus variant were identified in September 2001 in Costa Rica, after a 31-year absence of the disease in humans. Both patients lived in a rural area where cattle had a high risk for bat bites, but neither person had a definitive history of being bitten by a rabid animal. Characterization of the rabies viruses from the patients showed that the reservoir was the hematophagous Vampire Bat, Desmodus rotundus, and that a sick cat was the vector.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12781014/