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Human rabies: a reemerging disease in Costa Rica?

Xiomara Badilla¹, Victor Pérez-Herra, Ligia Quirós

¹Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), San José, Costa Rica. xbadilla@ccss.sa.cr

Emerging Infectious Diseases

|June 5, 2003

Summary

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Two human rabies cases occurred in Costa Rica in 2001, caused by a bat-associated virus variant. A sick cat transmitted the rabies virus from the Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) reservoir to humans.

Area of Science:

Veterinary Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Public Health

Background:

Rabies had been absent in humans in Costa Rica for 31 years.
Bat-associated rabies virus variants pose a potential zoonotic threat.

Observation:

Two human rabies cases were identified in rural Costa Rica in September 2001.
Neither patient had a definitive history of animal bites.
Cattle in the patients' area had a high risk of bat bites.

Findings:

Rabies virus characterization linked the human cases to the hematophagous Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus).
A sick cat served as the vector, transmitting the bat-associated rabies virus variant to humans.

Implications:

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This highlights the importance of surveillance for bat-associated rabies in both animal and human populations.

Understanding transmission cycles is crucial for preventing future zoonotic rabies outbreaks.

Public health strategies may need to address potential transmission through domestic animals from wildlife reservoirs.