Epidemiological, clinical-pathological aspects and rabies diagnosis in farm animals: Review

Abstract

Rabies is a viral disease that affects wild and domestic animals has been reported in Brazil since 1911. From the point of view of public health, it is imperative that people who have contact with animals be subjected to vaccination. The rabies virus is neurotropic and highly lethal to humans and animals. The damage inherent to rabies is difficult to quantify and the livestock production chain is the most affected. This paper briefly addresses the etiological aspects of rabies, as well as epidemiological factors involved in maintaining the disease in productive systems and the wild and urban environments. The clinical signs in animals affected by the disease were listed according to the species and clinical forms of presentation of rabies, namely, paralytic and furious. Topics on the main necropsy changes, histopathological lesions of the disease were also addressed, with some peculiarities regarding the distribution and characteristics of the lesions. The main forms of rabies diagnosis in farm animals and measures of control and prophylaxis were listed.