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By Olivia Ahmed and Rachel Alsheikh
Rabies is a virus belonging to the genus Lyssavirus and the order Mononegavirales. It is usually transmitted from the saliva of an infected organism to the bloodstream of an uninfected organism. It targets the central nervous system and travels to the brain, where it causes inflammation. After onset, rabies is typically fatal.
Rabies does not change organelle
structure in neurons. Instead, it
inhibits neurotransmitter function. It
interferes with membrane ions to prevent brain networking activities. Rabies also progessively inhibits gene expression in host cells, preventing the production of interferons. These changes lead to the failure of metabolic regulation. Rabies causes the apoptosis (death) of T cells, preventing a specific immune response.
Death ususally occurs within
seven days.
Rabies attaches to the G protein on
the host cell membrane and fuses
through to the cytoplasm. There, its
viral RNA intiates transcription with
RNA polymerase. The viral RNA is
then translated into individual RNA
proteins. These proteins damage the host cell.
Rabies belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae.
It is an RNA virus around 180 nm long and
75 nm wide, with a distinct bullet shape. It has
a negative, unsegemented, single-stranded
RNA genome. It codes for five proteins:
First, the rabies virus initiates replication
for an incubation period in the muscle at the site of transmission. It then binds to two specific receptors on neuron membranes. It travels along peripheral nerves to the central nervous system at a speed of 50mm-100mm a day.
Pre-exposure vaccines are availible for
both people and animals to prevent rabies.
Once one without a vaccine is exposed to
rabies, however, immediate wound cleansing and irrigation can significantly decrease chances of infection. Post-exposure vaccines containing
a combination of a biochemical vaccine and a
passive antibody (human rabies immune
globulin) can also prevent the progession
of rabies if administered early enough.
Initial symptoms:
Progressive symptoms:
Strains of rabies are able to infect multiple
species. They can jump from the host cell to human cells and the cells of other animals, as demonstrated by human incidents of rabies and the discovery of a raccoon strain of rabies in the fisher mammal in Pennsylvania.
About 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases come from animals and about 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic.