However, the vampire bat is often at the origin of the disease. The insectivore bat can also be a vector for rabies. The Rabies Viruses Taxonomically, rabies viruses belong to the Rhabdoviridae family , Lyssavirus genus . The virus morphology, under electron microscopy , is a bullet-shaped cylinder. The virus consists of a phospholipid bilayer, a helicoidal RNA , and five proteins .
Viral replication occurs within the cellular cytoplasm of host cells.
The primary mode of transmission is through the bite of an infected animal, and to a lesser extent, scratching and licking can also transmit the disease. There are also some cases in which transmission occurred via viral aerosols and cornea transplants. Transport of the virus occurs through the neuronal pathway, from the site of virus entry into the organism, into the brain which is the preferential site of virus replication. Subsequently, the virus is transported through the nerves, to various peripheral organs. Once the rabies virus is present in the nervous system and provokes encephalitis in mammals, the disease always have a lethal outcome.