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]