Insect eating bats have been the main cause of rabies in the U.S. since 1980. However, clear evidence of a bat bite is seldom found.
Bats weigh only a few ounces and they have very sharp claws and teeth.
Their scratches and bites are difficult to detect. The majority of cases were diagnosed after death. None of the people received complete treatment prior to the onset of clinical disease. In California, during 1995, two men died of bat-associated rabies virus. Rabies prophylaxis was administered to 88 people exposed to the two men.