ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Volume 261 | Issue 7 (July 2023)

Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2021.

J Am Vet Med Assoc. July 2023;261(7):1045 - 1053.

Xiaoyue Ma¹, Sarah Bonaparte², Patrick Corbett³, Lillian A Orciari⁴, Crystal M Gigante⁵, Jordona D Kirby⁶, Richard B Chipman⁷, Christine Fehlner-Gardiner⁸, Cin Thang⁹, Veronica Gutiérrez Cedillo¹⁰, Nidia Aréchiga Ceballos¹¹, Agam Rao¹², Ryan M Wallace¹³

¹ 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ² 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ³ 2Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ⁴ 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ⁵ 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ⁶ 3Wildlife Services, APHIS, USDA, Concord, NH.; ⁷ 3Wildlife Services, APHIS, USDA, Concord, NH.; ⁸ 4Centre of Expertise for Rabies, Ottawa Laboratory-Fallowfield, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON, Canada.; ⁹ 4Centre of Expertise for Rabies, Ottawa Laboratory-Fallowfield, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON, Canada.; ¹⁰ 5Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades, Secretaria de Salud de México, CDMX, México.; ¹¹ 6Laboratorio de Rabia, Departamento de Virología, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Secretaría de Salud de México, CDMX, México.; ¹² 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.; ¹³ 1Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To provide epidemiological information on the occurrence of animal and human rabies in the US during 2021 and summaries of 2021 rabies surveillance for Canada and Mexico.

PROCEDURES:State and territorial public health departments and USDA Wildlife Services provided data on animals submitted for rabies testing in 2021. Data were analyzed temporally and geographically to assess trends in domestic animal and wildlife rabies cases.

RESULTS:During 2021, 54 US jurisdictions reported 3,663 rabid animals, representing an 18.2% decrease from the 4,479 cases reported in 2020. Texas (n = 456 [12.4%]), Virginia (297 [8.1%]), Pennsylvania (287 [7.8%]), North Carolina (248 [6.8%]), New York (237 [6.5%]), California (220 [6.0%]), and New Jersey (201 [5.5%]) together accounted for > 50% of all animal rabies cases reported in 2021. Of the total reported rabid animals, 3,352 (91.5%) involved wildlife, with bats (n = 1,241 [33.9%]), raccoons (1,030 [28.1%]), skunks (691 [18.9%]), and foxes (314 [8.6%]) representing the primary hosts confirmed with rabies. Rabid cats (216 [5.9%]), cattle (40 [1.1%]), and dogs (36 [1.0%]) accounted for 94% of rabies cases involving domestic animals in 2021. Five human rabies deaths were reported in 2021.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE:The number of animal rabies cases reported in the US decreased significantly during 2021; this is thought to be due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Article Tools:

Medline

Email to me

Comments:

Comment In J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023 Nov 01;261(11):1605-1606

Archives Highlights:

Use of surgical lasers in small animal dermatology
This article covers the basics of lasers, including discussion of both diode and CO2 lasers. It also discusses several skin diseases and/or conditions in which lasers are commonly used.

Delayed embryonic development or a long sperm survival in two mares-A registration conundrum.
Donor mares were inseminated with semen from one stallion during one oestrous cycle and semen from a different stallion on the subsequent oestrous cycle. Embryo(s) were collected 8?days after ovulation during the second oestrous cycle and transferred into synchronised recipient mares. Genetic testing was performed to determine parentage of the two foals. For both foals, DNA parentage testing excluded the second stallion as the genetic sire and confirmed that the first stallion, whose semen was inseminated on the previous oestrous cycle, was the actual genetic sire.

Early detection of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis with artificial intelligence.
The AI identified 169 of the 170 cases prior to their identification by veterinarians, and another 17 cases that remained free of IBK signs (sensitivity = 99.4%, specificity = 97.6%). These results indicate the AI can detect emerging IBK cases by muzzle images very early in the disease process.

Risk factors for unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture diagnosis and for clinical management in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK.
After accounting for confounding factors, dogs aged 6 to less than 9 years, male neutered and female neutered dogs, insured dogs, and Rottweiler, Bichon Frise, and West Highland White terrier breeds, in particular, had increased odds of unilateral CCL rupture diagnosis. Insured dogs and dogs = 20 kg had increased odds of surgical management, while dogs = 9 years and dogs with one non-orthopaedic comorbidity at diagnosis with CCL rupture had reduced odds. These findings inform identification of at-risk dogs.

Neoplasms in Domestic Ruminants and Swine: A Systematic Literature Review.
In all species, the most frequent neoplasms were squamous cell carcinomas in ruminants, while melanoma was the most frequent in swine.