Volume 16, Number 8—August 2010
Dispatch
Bat Rabies in Massachusetts, USA, 1985–2009
Xingtai Wang
, Alfred DeMaria, Sandra Smole, Catherine M. Brown, and Linda Han
, Alfred DeMaria, Sandra Smole, Catherine M. Brown, and Linda Han
Table 2
Characteristics of bats submitted for rabies testing, Massachusetts, USA, 1985–2009*
| Characteristic |
No. rabid/no. tested (%) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1991 |
1992–1998 |
1999–2009 |
|
| Total no. bats | 50/720 (6.9) | 135/2,113 (6.4) | 311/7,424 (4.2) |
| Bat species | |||
| Big brown (Eptesicus fuscus) | 47/581 (8.1) | 126/1,898 (6.6) | 270/6,371 (4.2) |
| Hoary (Lasiurus cinereus) | 0/5 | 4/12 (33.3) | NS |
| Little brown (Myotis lucifugus) | 1/50 (2.0) | 2/83 (2.4) | 36/941(3.8) |
| Keen long-eared (M. keenii) | 2/9 (22.2) | 1/54 (1.9) | 0/31 |
| Red (L. blossevillii) | 0/8 | 2/20 (10.0) | 2/20 (10.0) |
| Seychelles fruit (Pteropus seychellensis) | NS | 0/1 | NS |
| Silver-haired (Lasionycteris noctivagans) | NS | 0/4 | 1/13 (7.7) |
| Unidentified |
0/67 |
0/41 |
2/48 (4.2) |
| Reasons for bat test | |||
| Human and pet exposure | 0/5 | 16/250 (6.4) | 40/1,004 (4.0) |
| Human exposure | 17/160 (10.6) | 35/635 (5.5) | 164/4,339 (3.8) |
| Pet exposure | 21/362 (5.8) | 50/918 (5.5) | 67/1,295 (5.2) |
| Sick and other reasons |
12/193 (6.2) |
34/310 (11.0) |
40/786 (5.1) |
| Signs | |||
| Aggression | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 118/2,033 (5.8) | 291/7,229 (4.0) |
| Yes | NC | 17/80 (21.3) | 20/196 (10.3) |
| Ataxia | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 128/2,087 (6.1) | 307/7,392 (4.2) |
| Yes | NC | 7/26 (26.9) | 4/32 (12.5) |
| Death | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 114/1,765 (6.5) | 284/6,566 (4.3) |
| Yes | NC | 21/348 (6.0) | 27/858 (3.2) |
| Disorientation | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 113/1,985 (5.7) | 278/7,038 (4.0) |
| Yes | NC | 22/128 (17.2) | 33/386 (8.6) |
| Lethargy | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 119/2,034 (5.9) | 275/7,145 (3.9) |
| Yes | NC | 16/79 (20.3) | 36/279 (12.9) |
| Paralysis | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 135/2,105 (6.4) | 304/7,394 (4.1) |
| Yes | NC | 0/8 | 7/30 (23.7) |
| Salivation | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 135/2,111 (6.4) | 309/7,409 (4.2) |
| Yes | NC | 0/2 | 2/15 (13.3) |
| Seizures | |||
| Unobserved | NC | 135/2,107 (6.4) | 309/7,416 (4.2) |
| Yes | NC | 0/6 | 2/8 (25.0) |
*NS, no specimen; unobserved, none or unknown; NC, not collected.
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Page updated: March 30, 2011
Page reviewed: March 30, 2011
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