Risk for rabies transmission from encounters with bats, Colorado, 1977-1996

Authors
Pape, WJ Fitzsimmons, TD Hoffman, RE
Citation
Wj. Pape et al., Risk for rabies transmission from encounters with bats, Colorado, 1977-1996, EM INFECT D, 5(3), 1999, pp. 433-437
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Clinical Immunolgy & Infectious Disease
Journal title
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ISSN journal
10806040 → ACNP
Volume
5
Issue
3
Year of publication
1999
Pages
433 - 437
Database
ISI
SICI code
1080-6040(199905/06)5:3<433:RFRTFE>2.0.ZU;2-A
Abstract
To assess the risk for rabies transmission to humans by bats, we analyzed t he prevalence of rabies in bats that encountered humans from 1977 to 1996 a nd characterized the bat-human encounters. Rabies was diagnosed in 685 (15% ) of 4,470 bats tested. The prevalence of rabies in bats that bit humans wa s 2.1 times higher than in bats that did not bite humans. At least a third of the encounters were preventable.