Yondo Aurelle, Enyetornye Ben, Velayudhan Binu T
Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Aug 5;13(8):e0041925. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00419-25. Epub 2025 Jun 12.
Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease caused by the rabies virus (RABV), primarily affecting the central nervous system of mammals. Understanding the epidemiology of animal rabies is critical for developing effective prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to analyze animal rabies cases received at a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Georgia, USA, over 5 years (2019-2023), focusing on the most commonly infected species, seasonality trends, and geographical distributions. A total of 1,560 rabies-suspect cases, representing 21 species of animals, were tested using a direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT). Of 1,560 cases, 5.6% (88/1560) were positive across 11 species, with domestic animals accounting for 17% (15/88) of rabies cases, whereas wildlife species exhibited a higher occurrence of 83% (73/88). Among wildlife, the affected species were raccoons (35.2% [31/88]), skunks (25% [22/88]), white-tailed deer (8% [7/88]), foxes (6.8% [6/88]), bats (4.5% [4/88]), bobcats (2.3% [2/88]), and great kudu (1.1% [1/88]). In domestic animals, the affected species included bovine (6.8% [6/88]), feline (5.7% [5/88]), caprine (2.3% [2/88]), and equine (2.3% [2/88]). Positive cases were predominantly detected in submissions from Georgia, with a few additional cases identified in neighboring states and unknown locations. Furthermore, fall, spring, and summer seasons showed high infection rates compared with winter. Our findings highlight distinct seasonal trends and the significant burden of rabies among wildlife in the Southeastern United States.IMPORTANCERabies is a fatal zoonotic viral disease that affects the central nervous system of mammals including humans. It is transmitted mainly through bites or scratches by infected animals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, and other wild animals. The present study analyzed data on clinical specimens submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for the detection of rabies in domestic and wild animals for a period of 5 years. The study examined a total of 1,560 rabies-suspect cases, representing 21 species of animals tested using the standard direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) assay. Out of 1,560 cases, 5.6% were positive across 11 species, with domestic animals accounting for 17% and wild animals accounting for 83% of the total cases. Different species of wild animal species showed a significantly higher incidence of rabies, highlighting the importance of wildlife in spreading rabies to domestic animals and the threat it poses to public health.
狂犬病是一种由狂犬病病毒（RABV）引起的致命人畜共患疾病，主要影响哺乳动物的中枢神经系统。了解动物狂犬病的流行病学对于制定有效的预防和控制策略至关重要。本研究旨在分析美国佐治亚州一家兽医诊断实验室在5年（2019 - 2023年）期间收到的动物狂犬病病例，重点关注最常感染的物种、季节性趋势和地理分布。共对1560例疑似狂犬病病例进行了检测，这些病例代表了21种动物，采用直接荧光抗体试验（DFAT）进行检测。在1560例病例中，11个物种的5.6%（88/1560）呈阳性，家畜占狂犬病病例的17%（15/88），而野生动物的发病率更高，为83%（73/88）。在野生动物中，受影响的物种有浣熊（35.2% [31/88]）、臭鼬（25% [22/88]）、白尾鹿（8% [7/88]）、狐狸（6.8% [6/88]）、蝙蝠（4.5% [4/88]）、短尾猫（2.3% [2/88]）和大羚羊（1.1% [1/88]）。在家畜中，受影响的物种包括牛（6.8% [6/88]）、猫（5.7% [5/88]）、山羊（2.3% [2/88]）和马（2.3% [2/88]）。阳性病例主要在佐治亚州提交的样本中检测到，在邻近州和未知地点也发现了一些其他病例。此外，与冬季相比，秋季、春季和夏季的感染率较高。我们的研究结果突出了美国东南部不同的季节性趋势以及野生动物中狂犬病的重大负担。
重要性
狂犬病是一种致命的人畜共患病毒性疾病，会影响包括人类在内的哺乳动物的中枢神经系统。它主要通过被感染动物（如狗、蝙蝠、浣熊和其他野生动物）的咬伤或抓伤传播。本研究分析了提交给一家兽医诊断实验室用于检测家畜和野生动物狂犬病的临床标本数据，为期5年。该研究共检查了1560例疑似狂犬病病例，这些病例代表了21种动物，采用标准直接荧光抗体（DFA）检测法进行检测。在1560例病例中，11个物种的5.6%呈阳性，家畜占总病例的17%，野生动物占83%。不同种类的野生动物狂犬病发病率明显更高，凸显了野生动物在将狂犬病传播到家畜中的重要性以及它对公众健康构成的威胁。
