Europe fox, bats Middle East wolf, dog Asia dog Africa dog, mongoose, antelope N America foxes, skunks, raccoons, insectivorous bats S America dog, vampire bats Increasingly, bats have been recognized as important reservoirs of rabies in many parts of the world. Cases of rabies in humans have been reported after bites by bats. Rabies virus had been shown to infect all mammals so far tested. Dogs, cats and cattle are particularly susceptible. Skunks, bats, foxes, squirrels, badgers, raccoons and mongooses are the principle wildlife host.
Foxes are the main carriers in Europe.
Birds have also been shown to be susceptible to infection. Compartmentation occurs with rabies, so that the disease is reported in one major host species in certain geographical areas while it is reported less frequently in the same species in other areas of endemic rabies. The commonest mode of transmission in man is by the bite of a rabid animal or the contamination of scratch wounds by virus- infected saliva. However, other routes have been implicated in the past, such as through mucous membranes of the mouth, conjunctiva, anus and genitalia. Infection by aerosol transmission had been demonstrated in experimental animals and has been implicated in human infection in rabies-infected bat caverns and in several laboratory accidents.