Can a rabid animal transmit rabies by licking?
Experts say no, licking by a rabid animal does not transmit rabies unless there is a break in the skin area where the rabid animal licks. Intact mucus membrane (lining of the eyes, nose, mouth) contamination with saliva of a rabid animal does not cause rabies. The most prudent thing to do is to consult your physician if this happens, because there are other factors to consider. Can human bite cause rabies? Yes, most definitely, if the person biting has contracted rabies. As in animals, the virus is found in saliva of humans who are rabid. Therefore, a person who develops rabies (from a rabid animal bite) can certainly transmit rabies by biting a fellow human or an animal. How is the diagnosis made? There was a time when the brain of the infected animal was microscopically examined for Negri bodies (intra cellular inclusions diagnostic of rabies) but modern diagnostic technique today uses fluorescent antibody test and virus isolation. If bitten by a pet, what has to be done? If the biti
