On November 28, 1989, the first reported case of rabies in a
llama in the United States occurred in Oklahoma in a 10-year-old
male llama. Approximately 4 weeks before onset of symptoms, the
llama was brought to southern Oklahoma from northern Texas, where
it had been kept in a pasture for 2 years. On November 21, the
llama had onset of ataxia, aggressive behavior, and progressive
hind-leg paralysis; the animal died November 27. Rabies was
diagnosed by fluorescent antibody test of brain tissue.
Monoclonal antibody testing showed that the virus was identical
to the antigenically distinct group of viruses found in skunks
from the south-central United States.
Two dogs, four llamas, and 46 Angora goats have been
quarantined for 6 months' observation because of possible
exposure to the rabid llama; these animals had shared a pasture
in Oklahoma. Rabies prophylaxis was administered to 13 persons,
including the owner and his family, a veterinarian, a
veterinarian aide, caretakers, and family friends who were
exposed to the llama during the illness or 2 weeks before onset
of illness.
Of 3163 animal specimens submitted for rabies testing to the
Oklahoma State Department of Health in 1989, 102 (3%) were
positive for rabies, including specimens from 74 skunks, seven
cattle, six bats, six cats, four dogs, three horses, one raccoon,
and one llama. In 1989, two rabid skunks were identified in the
Oklahoma county and two in the Texas county where the llama had
been kept.
Reported by: M Milton, Stephens County Health Dept; P Boden, MS,
C Crocker, K Krisher, PhD, S McNabb, PhD, GR Istre, MD, State
Epidemiologist, Oklahoma State Dept of Health. J Perdue, Texas
Dept of Health. Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Br, Div of Viral
and Rickettsial Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases; Div of
Field Svcs, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Llamas (members of the ungulate family) have
become increasingly popular domesticated animals. Approximately
20,000 llamas are currently registered in the United States
(International Llama Registry, unpublished data), with
approximately 200 being kept in Oklahoma; most of these animals
are kept for breeding and showing. The potential for human
exposure to rabies from infected llamas at fairs, petting zoos,
and parades is a public health concern because of the llama's
defensive spitting behavior. No rabies vaccine is licensed for
use in llamas.
Virtually all mammals are susceptible to rabies virus infection
(1). In the United States, four wild animal groups (bats, foxes,
raccoons, and skunks) accounted for at least 85% of reported
rabies cases during 1980-1988 (1). Most animals that develop
rabies in Oklahoma are believed to be infected from skunks.
In recent years, rabies has been reported for the first time in
javelinas (2) and armadillos (3). Rabies must be considered in
the differential diagnosis of any mammal with unexplained
neurologic illness.
References
CDC. Rabies surveillance, United States, 1988. MMWR
1989;38(no. SS-1).
CDC. Rabies in a javelina--Arizona. MMWR 1986;35:555-6,561.
Leffingwell LM, Neill SU. Naturally acquired rabies in an
armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) in Texas. J Clin Microbiol
1989;27:174-5.
Disclaimer
All MMWR HTML documents published before January 1993 are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.
