Rabies and rabies-related viruses: a modern perspective on an ancient disease

Abstract

Rabies is a worldwide zoonosis caused by a lyssavirus, with many host species acting as reservoirs for infection. The epidemiology of rabies has changed over recent years, as this disease has been brought under control or eliminated in many terrestrial animal species in Europe and North America. A large number of Lyssavirus variants have now been characterised, and their distribution and animal hosts have become known. However, new lyssaviruses have been isolated from bats, prompting scientists to question the efficacy of the existing human and veterinary vaccines against these new strains. The epidemiology of bat rabies should be fully explored, so that the precise risks to the health of humans and domestic and wild carnivores may be determined and methods of preventing the disease among people who handle bats can be discovered. Rabies is still a significant public health problem, particularly in areas where canine rabies is still endemic, such as countries in Africa and Asia.