[Rabies transmission to rodents after ingestion of naturally infected tissues]

We describe seven trials in which Calomys musculinus and Mus Musculus were fed with naturally rabies-infected tissues extracted from vampire bats, dogs, and bovines. The tissues were not subjected to any kind of previous laboratory handling and were administered directly in Petri dishes; rodents ate them voluntarily. The only infectious tissues were bovine brains taken from outbreaks transmitted by vampire bats (Table 1). It was possible to infect the two species of tested rodents, and there was no relationship between infection and amount of virus ingested. From the total number of 132 animals that ingested different kinds of rabies-infected tissues, 3 died of rabies infection. From 128 survivors of all the exposed mice, 22 presented seroconversion to rabies. In the infected Calomys musculinus there was evident nervous symptomatology consisting in excitability, aggressiveness, paralysis and isolation of rabies virus from their salivary glands. The possibility that rodents become rabies infected by the ingestion of naturally infected tissues would indicate that they may constitute a reservoir for rabies because cadaver ingestion is a natural feeding source for many species. Furthermore they may permit the passage of rabies virus in carnivorous, animals since they are an important prey for them. The present observations indicate two situations which may increase rabies risks to man through rodent bites.