RABIES IN SOUTH ASIA - EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

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RABIES IN SOUTH ASIA- EPIDEMIOLOGICAL
INVESTIGATIONS

• C.K.Singh and B.S. Sandhu
• Rabies Research-cum-Diagnostic Laboratory,
• Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences
  University, Ludhiana , Punjab, INDIA
• rabiesck_at_gmail.com

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Talking from highest prevalence of rabies in
Eurasia

• More than 20,000 human deaths occur every year
• 17.4 million humans are bitten by dogs in India
  every year
• Over Rs. 1200 crores are spent annually on post
  bite vaccination assuming about half of the
  exposed do not get PET
• Over 15 Crores is spent on PET in farm animals

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The Study

• The study was conducted on brain tissues
  collected from a total of 356 animals including
  231 dogs, 79 buffaloes and 46 cows.
• The brain tissues of only those animals that were
  suspected to be suffering from rabies clinically
  were included in this study.

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Impression smear from hippocampus of a rabid dog
showing magenta colored intracellular Negri body
(arrow) in a neuron. Sellers stain x875
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Section of Hippocampus of a rabid dog showing
intra-cytoplasmic eosinophilic Negri bodies (
arrows ) in neurons. HE x875
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Incidence in animals

• Suspected Confirmed
• 356 201
• 231 dogs 128 dogs
• 79 buffaloes 44 buffaloes
• 46 cows 29 cows

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Initial Signs of Rabies

• Rabid Dogs
• About half the rabid dogs go off feed show
  change in behavior few exhibit fever. Ocular
  involvement is rare.
• Rabid Cows
• Almost every rabid cow goes off feed and about
  half the rabid cows exhibit fever. Few rabid cows
  exhibit ocular involvement .
• Rabid Buffaloes
• Majority of rabid buffaloes go off feed and more
  than half exhibit fever. Majority of buffaloes
  show ocular involvement .

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Most susceptible Age/Sex

• Incidence in higher in adult dogs (gt3 Yrs.) and
  pups (lt6 M). The incidence is minimum in 6 M to 3
  Years dogs.
• The higher incidence of rabies in male dogs is
  largely due to their gregarious wandering and
  furious nature especially during breeding season.

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Signs Symptoms -Dogs v/s Bovines

• Only 24 percent rabid dogs show hyper salivation
  that is characteristic for bovines. So,
  Veterinarian need not look for clinical
  hypersalivation while suspecting dog rabies.
• Only 30 rabid dogs show paralysis . Paralysis
  is not necessarily the end sign in dogs.

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Signs Symptoms -Dogs v/s Bovines

• About half of the rabid dogs continue to
  recognize their owner
• Most rabid cows and buffaloes fail to recognize
  their owners

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Signs Symptoms -Dogs v/s Bovines

• More than half (61) of all rabid animals show
  aggressive behavior. Majority of aggressive rabid
  dogs inflict bite wounds to humans and/or other
  animals.
• Aggression of bovines is limited to inflicting
  trauma to themselves. No rabid bovine ever bites
  other animals and/or humans.

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Bovines - SimilarityBellowing in Bovines

• Majority of both cows and buffaloes (66) reveal
  prolonged and prominent fits of loud bellowing

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Bovines - Differences Drooling Saliva -32 v/s
86

• Drooling saliva is often reported as the
  characteristic feature in rabies in bovines
• It was found that hyper salivation was exhibited
  by less than half (32) of rabid buffaloes
• However, hyper salivation was more commonly
  exhibited (86) by rabid cows.

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Bovines - Differences Micturition in Bovines

• Rabid Cows
• Reveal frequent micturition
• Rabid Buffaloes
• Frequent micturition is not common in buffaloes

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Month-wise Incidence

• Increased incidence in dogs was reported during
  January, February, July and November.
• Increased incidence in buffaloes was observed
  during January to March
• Increased incidence in cattle was observed during
  March, April, June, August, October and November

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Major Area of Concern

• 78 of owned rabid dogs were not vaccinated
  prophylactically.
• There is high incidence of rabies in
  owned/community dogs.

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Merci
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Characteristics of rabid dogs
Year Total Positive Sex Off feed Paralysis Salivation Aggressiveness Fever Recognize Owner Vaccination Difficult standing Difficult intake Age Age Age Age Age
M F - - - - - - - - - lt6M 6-12M 1-2 yrs. 2-3 gt3
1995 32 17 15 15 17 10 22 8 24 22 10 6 26 12 20 4 28 7 25 6 26 11 3 4 0 14
1996 25 13 12 11 14 8 17 3 22 16 9 5 20 8 17 2 23 6 19 8 17 8 3 4 4 6
1997 30 22 8 23 7 10 20 8 22 15 15 4 26 18 12 8 22 9 21 6 24 8 3 7 1 11
1998 13 9 4 8 5 3 10 4 9 9 4 2 11 7 6 1 12 5 8 2 11 3 1 3 1 5
1999 28 18 10 17 11 8 20 8 20 16 12 6 22 15 15 13 15 9 19 8 20 6 1 4 3 14
Total 128 79 49 74 54 39 89 31 97 78 50 23 105 60 68 28 100 36 92 30 98 36 11 22 9 50
62 38 58 42 30 70 24 76 61 39 18 82 47 52 22 78 28 72 23 77 28 8.6 17 7 39
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Characteristics of rabid cows
Year Total Sex Off feed Micturition Paralysis Salivation Fever Recognize owner Bellowing Difficult standing Age Age Age Age Age
M F - - - - - - - - lt6M 6- 12M 1-2 Years 2-3 gt3
1995 10 2 8 8 2 3 7 4 6 9 1 5 5 5 5 3 7 5 5 1 0 1 1 7
1996 3 2 1 3 0 1 2 1 2 3 0 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 2
1997 3 2 1 3 0 2 1 1 2 3 0 0 3 0 3 2 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 1
1998 10 4 6 10 0 3 7 4 6 9 1 4 6 1 9 2 8 4 6 2 0 1 1 6
1999 3 1 2 3 0 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 0 3 1 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 2
Total 29 11 18 27 2 10 19 11 18 25 4 12 17 7 22 9 20 14 15 5 0 4 2 18
38 62 93 7 34 66 38 62 86 14 41 59 24 76 31 69 48 52 17 0 14 7 62
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Characteristics of rabid buffaloes
Year Total Positive Sex Off feed Micturition Paralysis Salivation Fever Recognize owner Bellowing Difficult standing Age Age Age Age Age
Total Positive M F - - - - - - - - lt6M 6-12M 1-2 year 2-3 gt3
1995 6 0 6 2 4 1 5 2 4 0 6 2 4 1 5 2 4 2 4 1 0 0 1 4
1996 6 1 5 3 3 1 5 2 4 1 5 2 4 1 5 2 4 1 5 0 0 1 2 3
1997 8 0 8 7 1 2 6 0 8 4 4 3 5 0 8 3 5 3 5 2 0 3 0 3
1998 12 1 11 12 0 4 8 2 10 4 8 6 6 4 8 4 8 6 6 0 1 2 3 6
1999 12 2 10 9 3 3 9 3 9 5 7 4 8 6 6 4 8 5 7 2 0 1 0 9
Total 44 4 40 33 11 11 33 9 35 14 30 17 27 12 32 15 29 17 27 5 1 7 6 25
9 91 75 25 25 75 20 80 32 68 39 61 27 73 34 66 39 61 11 2.2 16 14 57