Just got Sci.  Am.  Science and Medicine, May/June '95 issue and
recommend the article on rabies.  If possible will acquire reprints.
Snippets: Documented human incubation extending from several days for
bad head and neck bites to over six years.  The virus shows up in
human saliva, tears, skin, corneas, and several other places.  Saliva
can be used to infect mice or tissue cultures.  Antibodies may show up
in sera or cerebralspinal fluid.  Other methods can be used after
death for diagnosis.  The way it expresses itself can vary and there
are four documented survivors of paralytic rabies (The article says
two without complications!) Transmission can occur by aerosol route.
Dogs still primary vector to humans world- wide.  Also addressed:
costs, history, ancedotal evidence of longer human incubations,
progression, clinical considerations, structure, causes of death and
damage, related illnesses, wild reservoirs, treatment, vaccination,
occurance.  No ferret mentions.  Would corneal testing be a possible
ferret diagnostic?  I've seen nothing on it.  Sera and c-s fluid are
out; vaccines produce antibodies.  Ferrets don't seem so far to
express the virus in salivary glands.  Skin is used with advanced
cases only so far.
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1163]