Rabid bat diagnosed in Hawaii

Since 1966, the Hawaii State Government has been conducting Fluorescent Rabies Antibody (FRA) testing on animal brains as part of a statewide rabies-surveillance program. On April 3, 1991, the Department of Health (DoH) laboratory diagnosed the first case of rabies detected in the State. A large brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus fuscus, captured in a transport container that had just been off-loaded from a ship at Honolulu harbor, was caught. It's brain was examined and showed typical fluorescent staining patterns for rabies virus. The USPHS Centers For Disease Control (CDC) rabies laboratory confirmed the diagnosis 2 days later. The successful interception of this rabid animal was the result of close cooperation between the private sector (Sea Land Service, Hawaiian Stevedores) and the Hawaii State Government Departments of Health and of Agriculture.