No, rabies does not directly cause infected individuals to bark or exhibit other dog-like vocalizations. However, rabies can lead to a range of neurological symptoms that may alter vocalizations and behavior. Rabies is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system and is spread through contact with the saliva of infected animals. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal.
What are the symptoms of rabies?
The early symptoms of rabies are nonspecific and may include fever, headache, fatigue, and general discomfort or uneasiness. As the virus spreads through the central nervous system, more specific symptoms emerge:
– Excitability, agitation, anxiety, confusion
– Abnormal behavior, aggression, hallucinations, insomnia
– Paralysis or muscle spasms, difficulty swallowing
– Excessive salivation, drooling
– Avoidance of bright lights, loud noises
– Seizures
Infected individuals may have difficulty speaking or vocalizing normally due to paralysis and muscle spasms affecting the throat and vocal cords. They may moan, scream, grunt, or make other strange vocal sounds as a result. However, barking or dog-like vocalizations are not a direct symptom of rabies infection in humans.
Can rabies make you act like a dog?
While rabies does not directly cause barking or other dog-like behavior in humans, the neurological impact of the disease can cause symptoms that resemble the actions of a rabid dog.
Rabid dogs often exhibit signs of hyperactivity, excitability, lack of coordination, and aggression. They may bite or snap at imaginary objects, become easily provoked, and struggle to swallow – leading to excessive drooling.
In a similar way, a human patient in the later stages of a rabies infection may act in strange, hyperactive, or aggressive ways that mimic a rabid dog. The muscle spasms and altered mental state associated with rabies can cause behaviors like:
– Lunging or lashing out unexpectedly
– Biting or snapping the jaw
– Flailing the limbs or body uncontrollably
– Having trouble swallowing, leading to drooling
– Growling, moaning, or making other odd vocal sounds
So while a person with rabies won’t actually bark, the disease essentially shuts down the normal functioning of the brain and central nervous system. This allows the primal “fight or flight” response to take over, resulting in erratic and dog-like conduct in the terminal stages.
Why does rabies cause these symptoms?
Rabies belongs to a group of viruses called lyssaviruses. Once it enters the body, typically through a bite wound, it travels along the nervous system to the brain.
The rabies virus has an incubation period of 2-12 weeks. During this time, there are no symptoms as the virus slowly reproduces and binds its proteins to the acetylcholine receptors in nerve cells.
Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter that is essential for muscle contractions, memory, learning, and many other nervous system functions. When the rabies virus hijacks acetylcholine receptors, it essentially blocks normal neurotransmitter activity.
This “neurological jamming” leads to the telltale symptoms of rabies like hyperactivity, excitability, muscle spasms, paralysis, aggression and loss of coordination. The virus drives neural activity to go haywire, preventing normal communication between the brain and body.
Infected patients lose the ability to reason, speak, swallow or move normally. Fear, anxiety and terror set in as cerebral functioning deteriorates. Without treatment, coma and eventual death due to respiratory failure or cardiac arrest occur within days of advanced symptom onset.
Can rabies treatment stop the symptoms?
Yes, prompt post-exposure treatment with the rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin injections can prevent the onset of rabies symptoms entirely.
The rabies vaccine works by stimulating the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against the rabies virus. With enough circulating antibodies, the virus gets neutralized before it can enter the nervous system and start replicating. This prevents neurological dysfunction and the associated signs of rabies.
Immunoglobulin provides immediate, short-term protection by directly supplying virus-fighting antibodies until the vaccine kicks in. When administered within 7 days of virus exposure, the vaccine and immunoglobulin are nearly 100% effective.
However, once a patient starts exhibiting symptoms, rabies infection is almost always fatal. There are only a handful of documented human rabies survivors once the neurological manifestations set in. Still, healthcare teams make every attempt to ease suffering and keep the patient comfortable in final days. Sedatives may be given to curb fever, anxiety, seizures or pain. Paralysis and loss of consciousness eventually set in as the infection progresses.
Wildlife and pets as vectors of rabies transmission
Humans typically get exposed to rabies through bites from infected animals. In the U.S., wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes are the most common vectors for rabies. Pets, like dogs and cats, can also acquire rabies from wild animals and potentially transmit it to humans.
Wildlife rabies vectors
| Animal | Percentage of reported rabies cases* |
|---|---|
| Raccoons | 30.2% |
| Bats | 25.9% |
| Skunks | 24.8% |
| Foxes | 5.9% |
| Other wild animals | 13.2% |
*According to 2017 data from the CDC on rabid animals reported in the U.S.
Raccoons and bats tend to be the most common sources of human rabies infections acquired domestically. Bats can sometimes directly transmit rabies to people through bites that are ignored, unnoticed or unseen. Raccoons often spread the virus to unvaccinated outdoor pets, which can then infect their owners.
Pet rabies risks
In areas where rabies is common, transmission from pets can be a significant public health issue. Dogs alone account for up to 99% of all rabies cases in humans in some developing nations.
In the U.S., effective animal vaccination laws have reduced the risk of acquiring rabies from pets. However, unvaccinated dogs and cats that roam freely outdoors remain vulnerable to wildlife exposure.
Some key rabies risks regarding pets:
– Unvaccinated outdoor pets like cats have the highest risk of rabies exposure.
– Any abnormal behavior in pets after potential contact with rabid wildlife should be checked by a vet.
– Bites from stray or unfamiliar pets should be treated urgently as their rabies status is unknown.
– Rabies transmission from pets can occur through bites, scratches or contact with saliva.
– All dogs, cats, ferrets and horses should be routinely vaccinated against rabies by a licensed vet.
Keeping pets currently vaccinated is vital to protecting individual animals and preventing human exposures. Any potential rabies contact – from wild animals or pets – requires immediate medical assessment.
Rabies prevention in humans
Here are some key ways to protect yourself against rabies exposure:
– Avoid direct contact with wild animals like raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks. Report any daytime sightings of foxes, skunks or raccoons to local animal control.
– Do not feed, touch or handle wild animals, even if they seem friendly. Teach children not to approach unfamiliar animals.
– Do not adopt or rescue wild animals as pets. This includes baby raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and wild carnivores.
– Protect outdoor pets against rabies by keeping vaccinations current. Consider additional shots after high-risk exposures like skunk bites.
– Spay/neuter outdoor cats and supervise time outdoors to reduce rabies risks. Keep stray cats off your property.
– Seal gaps where bats or wild animals could enter barns, sheds, porches or homes. This excludes chimneys and vents.
– If you awaken to a bat in your bedroom or find one near a child or disabled person, seek medical advice urgently for rabies risk assessment.
– Seek prompt medical care for any animal bite to clean and assess rabies risk. Report stray dog or cat bites to authorities.
– If bitten by a potentially rabid animal, follow public health guidance for appropriate rabies post-exposure treatment. This is essential even if you were previously vaccinated.
Conclusion
While rabies does not directly cause peculiar behaviors like barking in humans, the neurological impact of untreated infection leads to loss of reasoning, anxiety, aggression, paralysis and death. Proper pet vaccinations, avoiding contact with wildlife, and seeking prompt medical care after potential exposures are key to protecting against this deadly zoonotic disease. Public education and consistent rabies immunization in animal populations remain critical public health measures for controlling the spread of rabies.