Charles E. Rupprecht - Böcker

The Americas is the only region with bat rabies virus, including vampire bat rabies.

The Americas is the only region with bat rabies virus, including vampire bat rabies.

The region is rich in cultural references and notable for many discoveries in the field, including the current vaccine potency test, diagnostic assay, conception of oral vaccines for wildlife, the first human survivor and the first successful canine rabies program executed at a broad level.

Rabies is one of the oldest known pathogens, is incurable, and has the highest fatality rate of all infectious diseases. The Americas is the only region with bat rabies virus, including vampire bat rabies. The region is rich in cultural references and notable for many discoveries in the field, including the current vaccine potency test, diagnostic assay, conception of oral vaccines for wildlife, the first human survivor and the first successful canine rabies program executed at a broad level. Rabies remains the most important viral zoonosis, with tens of thousands of human fatalities and tens of millions of exposures annually, which can be used to model for other pathogens, such as COVID-19. There is an international effort to eliminate human rabies caused by dogs over the next decade, and the Americas represent the primary region with the greatest proof-of-concept evidence to accomplish this goal. This two-volume set addresses the medical history and modern results of rabies in countries throughout the Americas, including the implications of and on cultural, economic, sociological, and research developments in the region. Volume II provides an in-depth analysis of the rabies' presence and impact in specific countries, including historical perspectives, advances in research and understanding, and current status.

History of Rabies in the Americas, Volume III: Reflections, Reports, Retrospectives, and Revelations is a natural outgrowth of the prior two volumes, which presented topical and spatio-temporal insights on this theme.

History of Rabies in the Americas, Volume IV: A Disease of Nature continues the series established by the three preceding volumes, which presented topical and spatio-temporal perspectives, and retrospectives from experts and others who encountered this disease. Volume IV presents species-specific insights, providing expert commentary from scientists specializing in the non-human species affected by rabies. A truly unique perspective is achieved in each chapter by partnering authors with varying but complementary expertise, e.g. a wildlife biologist and a virologist, or a veterinarian with a microbiologist. This volume's species perspective is especially crucial for understanding the history and modern implications of rabies in the Americas. Unlike the rest of the world where canine rabies accounts for 99% of detected cases, the disease has been mostly eliminated in dogs in the New World. As a result, around 90% of regional cases are now found in wildlife species, especially foxes, skunks, raccoons, and bats. The history of canine rabies remains critical to appreciating the epidemiology, evolution, and public health ramifications of this disease, especially on indigenous populations in the Americas. Adopting a species-specific lens allows this volume to explore the spread of rabies from its introduction during the colonial period up to the present, and the impacts it has had on the wildlife, domesticated animal, and human populations of the region. Engaging chapters tie these specific insights together through a One Health perspective, and address the current and future impacts of climate change, international management of the disease, and rabies' effects on agricultural systems and conservation biology.