Human rabies case with long incubation, Australia.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Johnson N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2634648 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Human rabies case with long incubation, Australia.
Johnson Nicholas N Fooks Anthony A McColl Kenneth K
Emerging infectious diseases 20081201 12
Similar Datasets
Project description:Eight years after emigrating from Brazil, an otherwise healthy man developed rabies. An exposure prior to immigration was reported. Genetic analysis revealed a canine rabies virus variant found only in the patient's home country, and the patient had not traveled internationally since immigrating to the United States. We describe how epidemiological, phylogenetic, and viral sequencing data provided confirmation that rabies encephalomyelitis may present after a long, multiyear incubation period, a consideration that previously has been hypothesized without the ability to exclude a more recent exposure. Accordingly, rabies should be considered in the diagnosis of any acute encephalitis, myelitis, or encephalomyelitis.
| S-EPMC4118733 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dog-transmitted rabies is responsible for more than 98% of human cases worldwide, remaining a persistent problem in developing countries. Mass vaccination targets predominantly major cities, often compromising disease control due to re-introductions. Previous work suggested that areas neighboring cities may behave as the source of these re-introductions. To evaluate this hypothesis, we introduce a spatially explicit metapopulation model for rabies diffusion in Central African Republic. Calibrated on epidemiological data for the capital city, Bangui, the model predicts that long-range movements are essential for continuous re-introductions of rabies-exposed dogs across settlements, eased by the large fluctuations of the incubation period. Bangui's neighborhood, instead, would not be enough to self-sustain the epidemic, contrary to previous expectations. Our findings suggest that restricting long-range travels may be very efficient in limiting rabies persistence in a large and fragmented dog population. Our framework can be applied to other geographical contexts where dog rabies is endemic.
| S-EPMC7274467 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Modelling disease dynamics is most useful when data are limited. We present a spatial transmission model for the spread of canine rabies in the currently rabies-free wild dog population of Australia. The introduction of a sub-clinically infected dog from Indonesia is a distinct possibility, as is the spillover infection of wild dogs. Ranges for parameters were estimated from the literature and expert opinion, or set to span an order of magnitude. Rabies was judged to have spread spatially if a new infectious case appeared 120 km from the index case. We found 21% of initial value settings resulted in canine rabies spreading 120km, and on doing so at a median speed of 67 km/year. Parameters governing dog movements and behaviour, around which there is a paucity of knowledge, explained most of the variance in model outcomes. Dog density, especially when interactions with other parameters were included, explained some of the variance in whether rabies spread 120km, but dog demography (mean lifespan and mean replacement period) had minimal impact. These results provide a clear research direction if Australia is to improve its preparedness for rabies.
| S-EPMC5289603 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundUntil 2008, human rabies had never been reported in French Guiana. On 28 May 2008, the French National Reference Center for Rabies (Institut Pasteur, Paris) confirmed the rabies diagnosis, based on hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction on skin biopsy and saliva specimens from a Guianan, who had never travelled overseas and died in Cayenne after presenting clinically typical meningoencephalitis.Methodology/principal findingsMolecular typing of the virus identified a Lyssavirus (Rabies virus species), closely related to those circulating in hematophagous bats (mainly Desmodus rotundus) in Latin America. A multidisciplinary Crisis Unit was activated. Its objectives were to implement an epidemiological investigation and a veterinary survey, to provide control measures and establish a communications program. The origin of the contamination was not formally established, but was probably linked to a bat bite based on the virus type isolated. After confirming exposure of 90 persons, they were vaccinated against rabies: 42 from the case's entourage and 48 healthcare workers. To handle that emergence and the local population's increased demand to be vaccinated, a specific communications program was established using several media: television, newspaper, radio.Conclusion/significanceThis episode, occurring in the context of a Department far from continental France, strongly affected the local population, healthcare workers and authorities, and the management team faced intense pressure. This observation confirms that the risk of contracting rabies in French Guiana is real, with consequences for population educational program, control measures, medical diagnosis and post-exposure prophylaxis.
| S-EPMC3283561 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Halicephalobus gingivalis (previously Micronema deletrix) is a free-living nematode known to cause opportunistic infections, mainly in horses. Human infections are very rare, but all cases described to date involved fatal meningoencephalitis. Here we report the first case of H. gingivalis infection in an Australian human patient, confirmed by nematode morphology and sequencing of ribosomal DNA. The implications of this case are discussed, particularly, the need to evaluate real-time PCR as a diagnostic tool.
| S-EPMC4400780 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn 1937, Diven reported that human fear responses to cues previously paired with shock progressively increase or incubate over 24 hours. Since then, fear incubation has been demonstrated in both humans and nonhumans. However, the difficulty of demonstrating long-lasting fear incubation in rodents has hampered the study of the underlying mechanisms of this incubation. Here, we describe a rat procedure where fear reliably incubates over time.MethodsWe trained food-restricted rats to lever-press for food pellets in daily 90-min sessions. We then gave each rat 100 30-sec tones co-terminating with a .5-sec .5-mA footshock over 10 days (10 pairings/day). Groups of rats (n = 10-15) were then given four presentations of the tone (the fear cue) 2, 15, 31, or 61 days after fear conditioning training and were assessed for conditioned suppression of lever-pressing.ResultsWe found that conditioned fear responses were significantly higher 31 and 61 days after fear training than after 2 or 15 days. In control experiments, we showed that extensive tone-shock pairing is necessary for the emergence of fear incubation and that it is unlikely that non-associative factors contribute to this incubation.ConclusionsWe describe a procedure for generating reliable and long-lasting conditioned fear incubation. Our procedure can be used to study mechanisms of fear incubation and might provide a model for studying the mechanisms of delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder that occur in a sub-population of people previously exposed to chronic stressors.
| S-EPMC2740722 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:China still suffers heavily from rabies, although reported human cases continue to decrease year over year. There are far fewer laboratory-confirmed human cases than clinically diagnosed cases, which is a big problem that needs to be addressed. In this report, we summarize analyses of all specimens from human cases tested in our laboratory over the past 15?years, in order to promote laboratory diagnosis of rabies. METHODS:From 2005 to 2019, a total of 271 samples from 164 suspected rabies cases were collected from local hospitals by the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) in China. Saliva, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum (blood) and urine were collected for ante-mortem diagnosis, and brain tissue, neck skin tissue and cornea were collected for post-mortem diagnosis. All of the specimens were tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and brain tissues were also tested using fluorescent antibody test (FAT). The number of positive test results obtained using different fluids or tissues, and at different stages of the disease, were compared using a chi-square test and a more effective sampling program is recommended. RESULTS:As the national reference laboratory for rabies surveillance in China, our laboratory has tested 271 samples from 164 suspected rabies cases collected by local CDCs since 2005. We found that saliva gave the highest number of positive test results (32%), compared with CSF and other fluids. We also found that serum or blood specimens collected in the last 3 days of life can test positive by RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS:Serum or blood samples collected in the last 3 days of a patient's life can be used to measure viral RNA, which means that serum samples, as well as saliva and CSF, can be used to detect viral RNA for anti-mortem diagnosis of rabies. Because of our findings, we have modified our "National Surveillance Project for Human Rabies", by adding the collection and testing of serum samples from the end of the survival period. This will improve our national surveillance and laboratory diagnosis of human rabies.
| S-EPMC7266119 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hydrophobia is a clinical sign characteristic of human rabies. This sign occurs following paroxysmal contractions of pharynx responsible for hydrophobic spasms.
| S-EPMC6293146 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRabies remains a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. However, human rabies deaths are rarely laboratory-confirmed or sequenced, especially in Africa. Five human rabies deaths from Tanzania and Kenya were investigated and the causative rabies viruses sequenced, with the aim of identifying implications for rabies control at individual, healthcare and societal levels.Case presentationThe epidemiological context and care of these cases was contrasting. Four had a clear history of being bitten by dogs, while one had an unclear biting history. Two individuals sought medical attention within a day of being bitten, whereas three sought care only after developing rabies symptoms. Despite seeking medical care, none of the cases received complete post-exposure prophylaxis: one patient received only tetanus vaccination, one did not complete the post-exposure vaccination regimen, one followed an off-label vaccination schedule, and two did not receive any post-exposure vaccinations before the onset of symptoms. These cases highlight serious gaps in health-seeking behaviour, and in health systems providing appropriate care following risky exposures, including in the accessibility and effectiveness of post-exposure prophylaxis as it is administered in the region.ConclusionsThe viral genomic and epidemiological data confirms dog-mediated rabies as the cause of each of these deaths. The phylogenetic investigation highlights the transboundary circulation of rabies within domestic dog populations, revealing distinct rabies virus clades with evidence of regional spread. These findings underscore the importance of coordinated cross-border control efforts between the two countries. Urgent action is needed to improve awareness around the need for emergency post-exposure vaccines that should be accessible in local communities and administered appropriately, as well as investment in coordinated dog vaccination to control dog-mediated rabies, the underlying cause of these deaths.
| S-EPMC11514914 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In Côte d'Ivoire, rabies is endemic and remains largely uncontrolled. The numbers of human exposures and rabies cases are unknown and are probably much higher than reported. Data on human rabies cases are collected by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) Anti-rabies Center in Abidjan through a network of 28 NIPH local units, which cover the population of the entire country. During 2014, the NIPH initiated a program to reinforce the human rabies surveillance system in those 28 NIPH local units, with specific goals of improving the infrastructure, training, communication, and government involvement. Here, we report the progress and findings during 2014-2016. The reinforced system recorded 50 cases of human rabies (15-18 cases/year; annual incidence = 0.06-0.08 per 100,000) and more than 30,000 animal exposures (annual incidence = 41.8-48.0 per 100,000). Almost one-half of the human rabies cases were in children ≤15 years old. All were fatal and dog bites were the most common route by which rabies virus was transmitted. In the 32 cases where samples of sufficient quality for analysis were available, rabies was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR. Post-exposure prophylaxis with rabies vaccine was administered to all animal exposure victims presenting at the NIPH local units, although only about 57% completed the full immunization schedule. All available reports were provided by the NIPH local units, indicating effective communication between them and the NIPH Anti-rabies Center. These findings indicate that the reinforcements resulted in highly specific detection of human rabies, provided detailed epidemiological data about these cases, and improved estimates of animal exposure numbers. These represent substantial advances, but further improvements to the surveillance system are needed to increase disease awareness and capture cases that are currently missed by the system. In the future, better communication between local health centers and the NIPH units, surveillance at the local health center level, and increased veterinarian engagement will help provide a more complete picture of the rabies burden in Côte d'Ivoire.
| S-EPMC6126804 | biostudies-literature