Public Veterinary Medicine: Public Health

JAVMA, Vol 234, No. 5, March 1, 2009 M than 90% of all laboratory-confirmed cases of rabies in Texas each year occur in wildlife species, with skunks and bats typically being the most commonly affected species. An analysis of reports of laboratory-confirmed cases of rabies in Texas revealed that skunks were the most commonly affected species during 14 of the 20 years from 1988 through 2007, and nationwide, skunks were the most often reported wildlife species with rabies during the 1960s through the 1980s and have continued to be 1 of the 3 most common species since 1990. Rabies in skunks, therefore, has important public health implications, and a greater understanding of the epidemiology of rabies in skunks will be useful in the planning and implementation of local, state, and national rabies control and prevention campaigns targeted at skunks. Epidemiology of rabies in skunks in Texas