rabies

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Science & Tech

rabies

pathology

Also known as: hydrophobia, lyssa

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 26, 2024 • Article History

Category: Science & Tech

Also called:: hydrophobia or lyssa

Key People:: Louis Pasteur; Sir Victor Horsley

Related Topics:: dog; disease; notifiable disease; rabies virus

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rabies, acute, ordinarily fatal, viral disease of the central nervous system that is usually spread among domestic dogs and wild carnivorous animals by a bite. All warm-blooded animals, including humans, are susceptible to rabies infection. The virus, a rhabdovirus, is often present in the salivary glands of rabid animals and is excreted in the saliva; thus, the bite of the infected animal introduces the virus into a fresh wound. Under favourable conditions, the virus propagates along nerve tissue from the wound to the brain and becomes established in the central nervous system. After a time it spreads via nerves to ...(100 of 721 words)

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