Rabies

Question 1

Type of virus

Answer 1

RNA rhabdovirus
(specifically lyssavirus)

• has a bullet-shaped capsid

Question 2

Transmission of rabies

Answer 2

majority = dog bites

May also be transmitted by:
- bat
- Raccoon
- skunk

Question 3

What happens following a bite where rabies is transmitted?

Answer 3

virus travels up the nerve axons towards the CNS in a retrograde fashion

Causes acute encephalitis

Question 4

Where is rabies most prevalent?

Answer 4

poor rural areas of Africa and Asia

Question 5

Clinical features of rabies infection

Answer 5

prodrome: headache, fever, agitation

hydrophobia: water-provoking muscle spasms

hypersalivation

Question 6

What name is given to cytoplasmic inclusion bodies found in Rabies infected neurons?

Answer 6

Negri bodies

Question 7

Management of animal bites in countries where there is a high risk of rabies infection

Answer 7

• wash wound
• If already immunised = 2 further vaccine doses
• if not immunised = human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and full vaccine course

*if possible, administer HRIG near wound

Question 8

If untreated, rabies is nearly always fatal. TRUE/FALSE?

Answer 8

TRUE