Dr. J. K. DUTTA, Former Medical Superintendent Infectious Diseases Hospital, Delhi
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There are about 950 species of bats in the globe1. Vampire bats and insectivorous bats are the prominent members. The problem of bat - transmitted rabies was closely studied first at Trinidad, in the West Indies, where it took a heavy toll of livestock and humans alike. In the 10 year period from 1925 to 1935, 89 persons and thousands of livestock had died from it. This was the highest human mortality from rabies infected bats thus far recorded any where. In 1931 H. Metivier a veterinary surgeon established the connection between the bite of a bat and paralytic rabies. In September 1931, Dr. J.L, Pawan, a bacteriologist found Negri bodies in the brain of a bat with unusual behavior. In 1934 Trinidad & Tobago Government began a program of vampire bat control. In 1953 after the opening of the Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory basic research on bats and rabies progressed rapidly. Arthur Greenhall demonstrated that at least 8 species of bats in Trinidad had been infected with the rabies virus, notable among them being, "Desmodus rotundus" and "Diaemus youngi". Two species of Fruit-eating bats, the seba's short tailed fruit bat or short tailed fruit bat "Carollia perspicillata" , and the Jamaican Fruit bat "Artibeus jamaicensis" were also often infected with the rabies virus. Constantine demonstrated in Texas in 1960 that non bite transmission was possible4. In 1967 rabies virus was isolated from the air in the Frio cave. Probably the virus had been excreted in the urine of bats. Preset Scenario In 1996 a single Daubonton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) was found to be infected in New Haven, United Kingdom with a rabies like virus Euorpean bat Lyssavirus 2 (EBL 2). In September 2002 another bat was found to be positive for same virus in Lancashire. In November 2002 David McRae a Scottish bat conservationist from Guthrie, Angus, died. He was the first human to contract rabies in the United Kingdom since 1902. He was reported to have been bitten by a bat. In 1996 and in 1998 two women died in Queensland, Australia due to infection with Australian bat Lyssa Virus (ABLV). The first case of rabies in USA was recognized in 1951 in a woman in Texas. In California, the silver haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) is the species commonly infected with rabies virus. Yellow coloured bat (Dysypterus floridanus) is the usual species infected with rabies virus in Florida. A hoary bat (confirmed rabid by laboratory), Lasiurus cinareus attacked a woman in Pennsylvania in 1953. In November 2004, Jearna Giese a 15 year old girl from Ford lue Lac, Wisconsin, USA developed rabies after bat bite. She survived after treatment with induced coma and was released from the Children's Hospital Wisconsin on 1 January 20055. She remained in isolation for 31 days and was hospitalized for 76 days. However later attempts with same treatment to cure rabies have failed. The primary care physician of the case, notes that this was because the same cocktail of drugs had not been used in other cases6. Relationship of rabies virus to bioprotin in brain needs further research. A teenager boy Zachary Jones of Humble, Texas died of rabies on 12 May 2006. He was bitten by a bat during sleep. On 2 November 2006 a 10 year old girl died in Bourbon, Indiana, USA of rabies. She was reported to have been bitten by a bat in June 2006. In August 2006 a 73 year old resident of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was bitten by a bat during sleep. He developed rabies and died on 26 April 2007. Instances of rabies by bat bite are extremely uncommon in the Indian subcontinent although there are 114 species of bats in India? Most of them are frugivorous (fruit eating).
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