[Intensive care in rabies. A case report (author's transl)]

A case of human rabies is reported showing a peculiar course in some respects. The lack of a satisfactory history concerning an animal bite 5 months earlier as well as a misleading psychiatric history led to difficulty and delay in reaching a diagnosis. Under intensive care, including mechanical ventilation and cardiac pacing, the disease reached a final stage, which is rarely seen. The clinical course and the pathological findings are described in detail and the etiology and prognosis of the disease are discussed. The latter remains rather hopeless de spite modern intensive care.