Rabies Exam 2

Question 1

Zoonotic

Answer 1

can be passed from animals to humans (or not as common-humans to animals)

Question 2

Rabies

Answer 2

lethal zoonotic neurological disease

Question 3

Who can get rabies?

Answer 3

any mammal

Question 4

What countries has rabies been eradicated from?

Answer 4

-England
-New Zealand
-Iceland
(in humans/pets/etc. not bats)

Question 5

What is the most common reservoir of rabies in KY?

Answer 5

skunks

Question 6

What is the most common reservoir of rabies in the world?

Answer 6

bats

Question 7

How is rabies transmitted?

Answer 7

to warm-blooded animals by the bite of an infected animal (fox, skunk, raccoon, bat, etc.)
-saliva gets deposited in broken skin from the bite and transmits the disease

Question 8

What in the body holds most of the virus?

Answer 8

saliva

Question 9

Transmission of rabies usually occurs between who?

Answer 9

an animals own species

Question 10

What happens when rabies symptoms begin?

Answer 10

there is no cure/no going back

Question 11

What is the most common reservoir on the east coast?

Answer 11

raccoons

Question 12

What is the most common reservoir in the west?

Answer 12

skunks

Question 13

What is the most common reservoir in the southwest/Hawaii?

Answer 13

fox

Question 14

Why do opossums usually not contract rabies?

Answer 14

their blood temp is a little bit colder so the virus cannot survive as well in their bodies

Question 15

If an animals behavior changes suddenly, what should you assume?

Answer 15

rabies (ex: a raccoon that is walking around during the day)

Question 16

Are dead animals still transmissible with rabies?

Answer 16

yes

Question 17

Where does the virus multiply in the victim once bitten?

Answer 17

in the muscle tissue around the bite site

Question 18

What happens after the virus multiplies in the victim?

Answer 18

it travels to neurons and then travels to the spinal cord and brain (or through the cranial nerves to the brain) - then spreads throughout the body

Question 19

How long is the incubation period of rabies?

Answer 19

weeks to 6 months

Question 20

When does progression of rabies become rapid?

Answer 20

once transit has started in the peripheral nerves (because nerves are then straight connected to the brain)

Question 21

What happens once rabies reaches the brain?

Answer 21

it passes centrifugally to tissues and organs and reaches the salivary glands and nasal secretions

Question 22

When could incubation be shorter vs. longer?

Answer 22

if the bite site is closer to the brain, incubation could be shorter

Question 23

How long do rabies victims survive for?

Answer 23

about 10 days

Question 24

Clinical signs of rabies

Answer 24

-poor racing performance
-bizarre behavior
-lameness
-GI upset
-shifting weight
-ataxia
-weakness
-paralysis
-urine dripping
-flaccid tail/anus
-depression
-aggression
-self-mutilation
-tremors
-head-pressing
-seizures
-inability to drink (hydrophobia)
-salivation (a lot)

Question 25

What is the most common symptom in horses?

Answer 25

self-mutilation

Question 26

What did rabies used to be called and why?

Answer 26

hydrophobia because victims are very thirsty but physically cannot drink

Question 27

How many people die from rabies annually?

Answer 27

~60,000 (furious form)

Question 28

What are the two forms of rabies?

Answer 28

furious and dumb

Question 29

Furious rabies

Answer 29

-aggressive form -animals become enraged, hyperexcitable, fearful -hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to stimuli)

Question 30

Who gets furious rabies?

Answer 30

all carnivores (and horses and cattle)

Question 31

Dumb rabies

Answer 31

-mental depression -inappetance -head pressing -circling

Question 32

Who can get dumb rabies?

Answer 32

cattle/horses

Question 33

What is different in the rabies vaccine action vs. other vaccines

Answer 33

it is the only vaccine that can travel faster than the rabies disease itself

Question 34

Rabies is often misdiagnosed with:

Answer 34

-EEE/WEE -WNV -EHV-1 -Hepatic encephalopathy -EPM -Colic

Question 35

How is rabies diagnosed in animals?

Answer 35

-no definitive ante-mortem test -testing needs to be done when the animal is dead -send in the animals head for the brain to be tested

Question 36

How often are horses vaccinated for rabies?

Answer 36

once a year

Question 37

How often are dogs/cats vaccinated for rabies?

Answer 37

once a year or once every 3 years

Question 38

How is rabies diagnosed in humans?

Answer 38

there are ante-mortem tests for the saliva, CSF, serum, and skin biopsies

Question 39

What is looked at for the definitive way to diagnose rabies in animals (once dead)?

Answer 39

negri bodies

Question 40

Can rabies be treated?

Answer 40

no

Question 41

What occurs when horses are exposed to a confirmed case of rabies?

Answer 41

-re-vaccinated immediately -observed for 45 days

Question 42

What type of transmission is uncommon?

Answer 42

herbivore to herbivore transmission (usually carnivore to herbivore)

Question 43

How to prevent rabies:

Answer 43

-vaccinate annually -avoid wildlife contact, secure garbage cans, don't leave food outside