title: First human death associated with raccoon rabies--Virginia, 2003.
abstract: Rabies is an acute, progressive, incurable viral encephalitis, caused by the bite of an infected animal. In March 2003, a previously healthy man aged 25 years from northern Virginia died from a diagnosed illness of meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology after a 3-week illness. Histopathologic review of central nervous system tissues at CDC revealed viral inclusions suggestive of Negri bodies, and subsequent tests confirmed a diagnosis of rabies. Genetic sequencing identified a rabies virus variant associated with raccoons, but how the patient became infected remains unknown. This report summarizes the investigation of the first documented case of human rabies associated with a raccoon rabies virus variant in the United States and highlights the importance of continued education in the prevention and diagnosis of rabies.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011821:Raccoons / Q000821:virology; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology