JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Teton County has never had a bat test positive for rabies…until now.
A bat found in the bedroom of a county residence was rabid. The bat was captured and taken to Spring Creek Animal Hospital and subsequently sent to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory (WSVL) for testing. Out of 13 bats tested from Teton County this year, this is the first to test positive for rabies.
The most recent records of rabies-positive animals in Teton County were a fox and a skunk that were tested between 2000 and 2001. State Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Karl Musgrave thought it was likely those animals were bitten by a rabid bat and contracted rabies.
Statewide this year, the WSVL has found six bats and 14 skunks out of the 435 total animals tested to be rabies-positive.
The rabies virus is almost always fatal, but if post-exposure treatment is started as soon as possible, death can be prevented. Rabies is transmitted in the saliva of warm-blooded mammals and can infect humans though bites, scratches or other physical contact that results in a break in a person’s skin or exposure to their mucous membranes.
Bats are a major reservoir of rabies in Wyoming and are a concern because their bites are so small that they may not be noticeable. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that post-exposure treatment be considered for the following situations:
- waking up in a room in which a bat is present
- an adult witnesses a bat in a room with a previously unattended child, mentally disabled person, or intoxicated individual
- physical contact with or handling a bat even if bite marks are not seen
Teton County Public Health recommends that anyone who experiences one of these situations or direct contact with a bat immediately contact their healthcare provider or Teton County Public Health at (307) 733-6401 for help and further information.
Any bat that comes in contact with a person should be carefully captured, if possible, so that rabies testing may occur. Bats can be taken to Spring Creek Animal Hospital for testing.
Teton County Emergency Veterinarian and Chairman of the Teton District Board of Health, Dr. Dan Forman, said, “This is a valuable service that our hospital is fortunate to offer the residents of Teton County. Funds are available to offset shipping costs associated with sample submission as necessary. Testing is performed free of charge by WSVL.”
Dr. Forman stressed the importance of how to properly capture a bat so that testing can be conclusive. He recommends that individuals who are trying to capture a bat wear suitable gloves and attempt to keep the bat’s skull intact.
“If the brain does not appear to be intact, this may interfere with our ability to perform proper testing.”
It is also important for residents to put the captured or dead bat in the refrigerator to preserve the specimen until it can be dropped off. “Please do not put the specimen in the freezer as this may also render the brain tissue unsuitable for testing.”
Bats do not normally pose a serious threat to public health and are extremely important for insect control.
“Typically, less than one percent of bats in nature are affected by rabies at one point in time. Bats that are acting abnormally or come into contact with humans can have a higher rate of rabies (up to 10%),” Musgrave said. “Across Wyoming, we get an average of 8 to10 rabid bats each year. The information we get from bat submissions doesn’t reflect prevalence of rabies in bats because it is highly dependent on the interest in submitting bats for testing and this varies across the state.”
