Rabies and rabies research: past, present and future.

Rabies is probably the oldest recorded infection of mankind. The development of the first rabies vaccine by Pasteur surely had been hoped to eliminate or at least drastically reduce its incidence. However, this goal has not been achieved because rabies is maintained in many animal reservoirs, including both domestic and wild. There are still many aspects of the pathogenicity of rabies that are unknown. For example, we have no explanation for the long incubation period (up to 6 years). Furthermore, new patterns of rabies infection present a problem for epidemiologists and virologists alike. There are several cases of human rabies in which there was no history of a bite. Despite these continuing problems, there has been tremendous progress in the control of rabies. Cheap and safe vaccines for animals as well as humans have been developed. Oral vaccination of wildlife with recombinant rabies virus vaccines is beginning to reduce the incidence of rabies among foxes and raccoons. Vaccination of stray dogs could lead to the eradication of rabies in countries where dog rabies is the sole source of human exposure.