Rabies

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By Mayo Clinic staff

If an animal bites you, seek medical attention for the wound. Also tell the doctor about the circumstances of your injury. The doctor will ask:

  • What animal bit you?
  • Was it a wild animal or a pet?
  • If it was a pet, do you know to whom the animal belongs?
  • Can you describe the animal's behavior before it bit you? Was the animal provoked?
  • Were you able to capture or kill the animal after it bit you?

What you can do in the meantime
Wash your wound gently and thoroughly with soap and generous amounts of water. This may help wash away the virus.

If the animal that bit you can be contained or captured without causing more injury, do so. Do not kill the animal with a blow or a shot to the head, as the resulting injuries may make it difficult to perform laboratory tests to determine whether the animal has rabies.

Tell your doctor that you have captured the animal that bit you. Your doctor may then contact the local health department to determine what to do with the animal.

Tests and diagnosis Risk factors
References
  1. Rabies basics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  2. Rupprecht CE. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of rabies. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  3. Fort GG, et al. Rabies. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1095900802&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00027-5--sc0010&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00027-5--sc0010&uniqId=230129353-3. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  4. Bassin SL, et al. Rhabdoviruses. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 76th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00163-6&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00163-6&uniqId=227823193-5#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00163-6. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  5. Harper MB. Infection following bites. In: Long SS, et al., eds. Long: Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/227823193-4/1087364479/1679/96.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06687-0..50095-3--cesec28_1889. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  6. DeMaria A, et al. Rabies immune globulin and vaccine. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  7. Jackson AC. Rabies. Neurologic Clinics. 2008;26:717.
  8. Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 7, 2010.
DS00484 Jan. 28, 2011

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