🐾 Rabies: From Bite to Recovery – Key Takeaways
*Definition and Overview - Rabies is an acute, progressive viral encephalomyelitis caused by neurotropic viruses of the genus Lyssavirus (family Rhabdoviridae). It is nearly always fatal once clinical signs appear. Transmission typically occurs through the bite or scratch of an infected mammal—most commonly domestic dogs in many endemic regions, including India. After entry into peripheral tissues, the virus travels centripetally via peripheral nerves to the central nervous system (CNS), where it replicates and causes widespread neuronal dysfunction. 1. Etiology and Epidemiology 1. Causative Agent o The classical rabies virus (Rabies lyssavirus) is a bullet-shaped, enveloped RNA virus (~12 kb negative-sense genome). o Other Lyssavirus species (e.g., Lagos bat virus, Australian bat lyssavirus) can also cause rabies-like disease, but classical rabies virus accounts for by far the majority of human...