Tag: biology

Rabies is an acute viral disease of the central nervous system that affects all warm-blooded animals and is usually transmitted to humans by a bite from an infected dog.

Rabies causes hydrophobia in the encephalitic stage which means when it affects the brain and causes swelling and inflammation of multiple areas of the brain. Hence, it affects the complex swallowing areas in the brain. Initially into the course of the disease, the patient has involuntary contractions of neck muscles when he drinks water. At later stages of disease, the patient starts contracting his muscles even at the thought of water. Rabies virus is a neurotropic virus which means that it travels through nerves because of its preference to attach to acetylcholine receptors in the neurons. 

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Infected mammals can transmit rabies virus to humans and other mammals. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. People usually get exposed to the rabies virus when an infected animal bites them. Exposure may also occur if saliva from a rabid animal enters an open cut or mucous membrane (eyes, nose or mouth).

Louis Pasteur was the first person who uses the live virus in vaccination and developed the method for the attenuation of virulent microorganisms that is the basis of vaccination. He developed vaccines against cholera, anthrax and rabies. Thus, the correct answer is option C.

Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux developed the first rabies vaccination in 1885. This vaccine was first used on a human on July 6, 1885, on nine-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by a rabid dog.

Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute inflammation of the brain. Rabies is caused by lyssaviruses including: rabies virus and Australian bat lyssavirus. Rabies is spread when an infected animal scratches or bites another animal or human. Hydrophobia (fear of water) is the historic name for rabies. It refers to a set of symptoms in the later stages of the infection in which the person has difficulty swallowing, shows panic when presented with liquids to drink, and cannot quench his or her thirst. Any mammals infected with the virus may demonstrate hydrophobia. 

The rabies virus is transmitted to others through the saliva of the infected animal. All mammals can carry the virus. Humans can contract the virus through a bite from the infected animal, or from a scratch, scrape, open wound, or mucous membrane that comes in contact with the saliva. It is not possible to contract the virus by petting a rabid animal or through contact with the blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal.

Most rabies cases are found in domestic animals, such as the dog or cat. But with the rabies vaccine now required for pets and livestock, most rabies animal cases today are found in wild animals and stray dogs. It is found most often in raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes. Rarely it is found in rabbits, squirrels, rats, and opossums, although it is becoming more common in groundhogs. Raccoons are a concern because they often interact with household pets.

Rabies infection is caused by the rabies virus. Rabies is a life-threatening condition that causes tens of thousands of deaths worldwide every year. Dogs are the most common source of transmitting the virus along with cats and wild animals like raccoons and bats. They are able to transfer the virus to humans via bites and scratches.