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Rabies is one of the most dreaded zoonoses, affecting humans, domestic pets, wildlife, and livestock throughout most of the world. While there are effective vaccines, including one for pre-exposure protection and one for post-exposure prophylaxis, immunization of animals is geographically uneven and is not always repeated at defined intervals as required. The trend toward relaxation of quarantine regulations in some countries, growth of wildlife rabies, and increased incidence of transmittal of the virus by bats have led to recommendations that public information be more widely disseminated and that, despite their high costs, more vaccine-laced bait programs be carried out in wildlife areas. As an additional complication to rabies prevention, there is recent evidence that airborne transmittal of rabies virus may be implicated in cases of progressive encephalitis in humans who have come in contact with bats
Rabies is caused by a Lyssavirus, of which there are several strains of varying virulence and differing antigen properties. Laboratory diagnosis is required and must be done swiftly. Some scientists recommend that the primary test using microscopic examination of stained samples of fresh brain tissue be followed by a second confirmatory test involving inoculation of laboratory mice. The world's major rabies research center is the Pasteur Institute.
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