Rabies Watch
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RABIES, EQUINE - USA (Rhode Island)
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Date: 25 Apr 2007
Source: East Bay RI.com [edited]
http://www.eastbayri.com/story/288739354563374.php
Horse dies from rabies at Portsmouth, Rhode Island stable
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The state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has determined 
that a horse that died over the weekend was a victim of rabies.
Portsmouth police report that the horse was located at the Newport
Polo Club Office and Arena at 2503 East Main Road. A call to the club
was not returned.
Dr. Scott Marshall, DEM veterinarian, said they were notified of a female
horse "acting aggressively" on Saturday [21 Apr 2007] night. The
horse's regular vet attempted to treat it Sunday afternoon, Dr.
Marshall said, but could not get close enough as the horse would
"reportedly charge if you get near it."
DEM planned to go out and sedate the horse for testing, but it died
Sunday [22 Apr 2007] night. The horse's vet removed its head for
testing, and the body was buried. DEM concluded from testing on
Tuesday [24 Apr 2007] morning that the horse had died from rabies.
The virus is usually transmitted through a bite, traveling through
the nervous system from the bite origin until it reaches the brain.
It is found in the salivary glands, from where it can infect other
mammals. Rabies can be difficult to detect, because it mimics other
diseases, Dr. Marshall said, and the incubation period varies greatly
from animal to animal. Once it infects the brain, it will kill the
animal within days.
"If (the horse) is bitten at the tip of the tail, it has a longer
incubation period," he said. "But if the horse is bitten on the nose,
it reaches the brain faster."
Dr. Marshall said the horse must have been bitten by a rabid animal
to have contracted the virus, but the club's operator reported no
finding of any "wound of unknown origin or of (the horse) coming into
contact with another animal."
The horse's vet reported to Dr. Marshall that its rabies vaccination
had lapsed. Dr. Marshall said vaccinations are required for
publicly-shown horses but not for privately-owned horses.
The dead horse shared a paddock with another horse, Dr. Marshall
said, adding that DEM is working to determine whether any other
animals in the club were infected, but he has not been able to reach
anyone at the club.
The Department of Health is looking into whether there was any
contact with humans in which the virus could have been transmitted.
The Federal Center for Disease Control reports that less than 10
percent of reported rabies cases occur in domestic animals.
[Byline: Jill Rodrigues]
[Rabies is an acute viral encephalomyelitis that principally affects
carnivores and bats, although it can affect any mammal. It is
invariably fatal once clinical signs appear. Rabies is found
throughout the world, but a few countries claim to be free of the
disease due either to successful elimination programs and/or to their
island status and enforcement of rigorous quarantine regulations.
Transmission is almost always by introduction of virus-laden saliva
into the tissues, usually by the bite of a rabid animal. Although
much less likely, it is possible for virus from saliva, salivary
glands, or brain to cause infection by entering the body through
other fresh wounds or through intact mucous membranes. Usually,
saliva is infectious at the time that clinical signs occur, but it is
possible for dogs and cats to shed virus for several days before
onset of clinical signs. Viral shedding in skunks has been reported
for up to 8 days prior to onset of signs. Rabies virus has not been
isolated from skunk musk (spray).
Horses and mules frequently show evidence of distress and extreme
agitation. These signs, especially when accompanied by rolling, may
be interpreted as evidence of colic. As in other species, horses may
bite or strike viciously and, because of their size and strength,
become unmanageable in a few hours. People have been killed outright
by such animals. These animals frequently suffer self-inflicted
wounds.
The incubation period is both prolonged and variable; typically, the
virus remains at the inoculation site for a considerable time. The
unusual length of the incubation period helps to explain how
post-exposure treatment, including in humans the practice of locally
infiltrating hyper-immune serum, is effective. Most cases in dogs
develop within 21-80 days after exposure, but the incubation period
may be shorter or considerably longer. One reliably recorded case of
rabies in a human had an incubation period >6 years.
The virus travels via the peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and
ascends to the brain. After reaching the brain, the virus travels via
peripheral nerves to the salivary glands. If an animal is capable of
transmitting rabies via its saliva, virus will be detectable in the
brain. Virus is shed intermittently in the brain.
Hematogenous spread does not occur. Under most circumstances, there
is no danger of aerosol transmission of rabies. However, aerosol
transmission has occurred under very specialized conditions in which
the air contains a high concentration of suspended particles or
droplets carrying viral particles. Such conditions have been
responsible for laboratory transmission under less than ideal
containment situations. There has also been documented aerosol
transmission in one bat cave. Oral and nasal secretions containing
virus were probably aerosolized from tens of millions of bats.
Aerosol infection may occur via direct attachment of the virus to
olfactory nerve endings.
The disease is easily preventable by use of a vaccine. Public Health officials have long advocated that horses and cattle should be protected by
being vaccinated. It is certainly an inexpensive insurance policy, given the
fatal consequences of Rabies once symptoms/signs are manifested.
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