Rabies

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Rabies

Central nervous system

Rabies

Symptoms:

low-grade fever (102 degrees F or lower)
pain at the site of the bite
exaggerated sensation at the bite site
swallowing difficulty (drinking produces spasms of the larynx) or swallowing difficulty with liquids only
restlessness
excitability
muscle spasms
convulsions
numbness and tingling
loss of muscle function
loss of feeling in an area of the body
drooling
anxiety, stress, and tension
positive Babinski's reflex

Signs and tests:

If a person has a history of animal bite, the animal will be observed for signs of rabies. Immunofluorescence (fluorescent antibody test) or necropsy (after death) performed on the suspect animal may show that the animal has rabies.

Review Date: 8/7/2002
Reviewed By: Camille Kotton, M.D., Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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