Species of the Rhabdoviridae that causes rabies in humans. The virus infects the cells in the brain, causing a fatal encephalomyelitis. It is found all over the world, but strict quarantine regulations have excluded it from Britain and Australia. The virus infects a number of domestic and wild mammals, whose saliva is infective. Some bats and small mammals can carry the virus without showing any symptoms of disease.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
