Rabies
From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource
Taxonomy
| Order = Mononegavirales | Family = Rhabdoviridae | Genus = Lyssavirus | species = Rabies Virus|
Description
Rabies (derived from Latin meaning 'Madness') is a viral disease caused by Lyssavirus rabies virus. The disease is extremely lethal to those unfortunate enough to show symptoms of the infection. The primary transmission of the virus to humans occurs through dog bites and scratches. The numbers vary widely form country to country, however, it is estimated that 55,000 die per year from the rabies virus from Asia and Africa.