[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-rna-viruses/) › Rabies virus [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-rna-viruses/) # Rabies virus - Virus - Enveloped - Exam priority: high A virus passed in the saliva of infected animals that climbs the nerves to the brain. Once symptoms start it is almost always fatal, but it is preventable. Updated 2026-11-01 Also called: rabies lyssavirus ## Key points - Bullet-shaped rhabdovirus with negative-sense RNA - Retrograde axonal transport; binds the nicotinic receptor - Negri bodies in hippocampus and cerebellum - Hydrophobia and aerophobia in the furious form - Post-exposure prophylaxis: wash the wound, vaccine, and immunoglobulin for severe exposure - Standard precautions ## At a glance **Shape** Bullet-shaped **Genome** Single-stranded, negative-sense, non-segmented RNA **Envelope** Enveloped **Family** Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus **Size** About 75 by 180 nm ## Morphology - Enveloped, bullet-shaped virus with glycoprotein G spikes - Glycoprotein G is the target of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies ## Transmission - Saliva of an infected animal through a bite, scratch or lick of mucosa or wounds - Worldwide, dogs cause the great majority of human cases - In the Americas, blood-feeding bats are now the main source - Very rarely by organ transplant **Reservoir:** Dogs (canine variants); Vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) and insect-eating bats; Foxes, cats and other mammals as hosts ### Isolation precautions What the care team adds to standard precautions. - Standard ## Virulence factors - Replicates in muscle at the bite site and binds the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor - Travels by retrograde axonal transport to the central nervous system, out of reach of antibodies - Encephalitis with Negri bodies (cytoplasmic inclusions) in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons - Then spreads outward to salivary glands and other organs ## Diseases it causes - Human rabies: furious (encephalitic) and paralytic forms [Rabies →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/rabies/) ## Clinical picture - Usual incubation 2 to 3 months (one week to one year), shorter when the wound is closer to the head - Prodrome: fever and pain, tingling or burning at the wound site - Furious form: agitation, hydrophobia, aerophobia, hypersalivation, hallucinations - Paralytic form (about 20%): ascending paralysis from the wound, often misdiagnosed - Coma and death in almost 100% once symptoms appear ## Diagnosis - In life: RT-PCR on saliva, nuchal skin biopsy (antigen in follicular nerve fibres) and antibodies in serum and CSF - After death: direct immunofluorescence on brain tissue, Negri bodies - In the animal: 10-day observation of the dog or cat or brain testing ## Treatment There is no effective treatment once symptoms appear: only palliative care. Post-exposure prophylaxis does work: immediate, thorough washing of the wound with soap and water, a series of human rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin infiltrated into the wound for severe exposures. Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline. ## Prevention - Yearly vaccination of dogs and cats - Post-exposure prophylaxis by risk classification - Pre-exposure prophylaxis for vets, lab staff, cavers and workers in bat areas - Education not to handle bats or wild animals **Vaccine:** Inactivated cell-culture human rabies vaccine, which Colombia's public system provides free for post-exposure prophylaxis, together with rabies immunoglobulin. ## In Colombia Colombia tracks "aggressions and contacts with animals that can transmit rabies" in SIVIGILA, each classed as no exposure, mild exposure or severe exposure to decide prophylaxis. Dog vaccination controlled dog-transmitted rabies; recent human cases are linked mainly to cats infected with bat variants and to vampire bats in rural areas. The biting dog or cat is observed for 10 days. ## Memory aid A "slow bullet" along the nerve: rabies moves slowly, and in that time post-exposure prophylaxis wins the race. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## How does rabies virus get from the bite to the brain? By retrograde axonal transport along peripheral nerves. ## What are the components of post-exposure prophylaxis for a severe exposure? Immediate washing of the wound with soap and water, a rabies vaccine series and rabies immunoglobulin infiltrated into the wound. ## Which neuronal inclusions are typical of rabies? Negri bodies, eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions in hippocampal neurons and Purkinje cells. ## What is now the main source of human rabies in the Americas? Bats, especially blood-feeding bats; dog rabies is largely controlled by vaccination. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/rabies-virus/) ## Related conditions - [Rabies](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/rabies/) ## What the colours mean **Gram-positive** Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple. **Gram-negative** Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink. **Acid-fast** Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain. [← Back to the group: Other RNA viruses](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/other-rna-viruses/) Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given. Sources: [Rabies](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies) (World Health Organization (WHO), 2025); [Patient Care for Preventing Rabies](https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/hcp/clinical-care/index.html) (CDC, 2025); [Appendix A: Type and Duration of Precautions Recommended for Selected Infections and Conditions](https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/isolation-precautions/appendix-a-type-duration.html) (CDC, 2024). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/rabies-virus/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/rabies-virus/