Rabies in Turkey: Three human cases illustrating the importance of suspecting exposure

Buyuk Y., Uzun I., Aybar Y., Kurnaz G., Ozaras R.

WILDERNESS & ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE, cilt.18, sa.3, ss.214-217, 2007 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2007
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1580/06-weme-br-054r.1
  • Dergi Adı: WILDERNESS & ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.214-217
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Rabies, a fatal encephalitis of viral origin, is still a major health problem in the developing world. It begins, after exposure, with centripetal spread of the virus through peripheral nerves to the central nervous system. The virus proliferates there and spreads to the tissues via peripheral nerves. The diagnosis is not difficult when a nonimmunized patient presents with hydrophobia after a bite by a known rabid animal. Failure to identify an exposure and administer postexposure prophylaxis, however, can lead to a fatal outcome. We report 3 fatal cases of rabies in which the risk of developing rabies had not been seriously considered. Two had apparent dog bites, but 1 had a minor abrasion. Because rabies is uniformly fatal, possible exposure should be seriously considered in patients with mammalian bites or scratches.