Bites from the same dog, different outcomes for two patients: a case report

Xue-Yong Huang,Xing-Le Li,Yu-Lei Gu,Xin-Jun Lv,John David Klena,Bian-Li Xu,Shu-Yu Wu

doi:10.1186/s40249-017-0321-3

Abstract

BackgroundRabies is a serious reemerging zoonosis in China. At present human rabies cases are primarily diagnosed based on clinical presentation.Case presentationIn August 2012, a woman and her son were attacked by a stray dog in Henan, China. The son received rabies postexposure prophylaxis (wound treatment followed by vaccine, no immunoglobulin), however, the mother did not. Rabies infection was subsequently laboratory confirmed in the mother and she died in December; her son is alive and healthy after 2 years of follow-up.ConclusionThis report documents that the timely utilization of postexposure prophylaxis is a required measure in preventing rabies after exposure to an animal bite.

Highlights

Rabies is a serious reemerging zoonosis in China
Rabies is a fatal disease, yet it is preventable using proven, effective measures including immediate wound washing with soap and water or other detergents that can kill the virus, vaccine in cases of category III exposures, and wound infiltration with rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) [11,12,13]
Prior to transfer to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, the female patient was hospitalized in a local county and a municipal hospital, where a clinical diagnosis could not be made with certainty

Summary

Introduction

Rabies is a serious reemerging zoonosis in China. At present human rabies cases are primarily diagnosed based on clinical presentation. Case presentation: In August 2012, a woman and her son were attacked by a stray dog in Henan, China. The son received rabies postexposure prophylaxis (wound treatment followed by vaccine, no immunoglobulin), the mother did not. Rabies infection was subsequently laboratory confirmed in the mother and she died in December; her son is alive and healthy after 2 years of follow-up. China reports the second highest number of human rabies deaths, only after India [2]. The number of cases of human rabies has been decreasing since 2007, the disease remains an important public health threat in mainland China [3]. Dogs are the main source of infection and are the primary vector for human rabies in rural China [4]. The mother did not receive rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and died of rabies, while her

Objectives

Conclusion