Abstract
Surveillance of Rabies Prevalence and Bite Protocols in Captive Mammals in American Zoos
(J Zoo Wildl Med. 2010;41:474–9) J Zelepsky, TM Harrison
Prepared by Anil Menon, MD, UTMB/NASA Aerospace Medicine Fellow, Galveston, TX, USA
The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians does not mandate rabies vaccination for zoo mammals but has published guidelines recommending vaccination. This retrospective observational survey sought to quantify rabies exposure of visitors and employees. In addition, the authors asked about postbite treatment.
A convenience sample of 50 zoos across 17 states was surveyed, and 32 responses were received. The survey asked for total number of visitors, average full time employees, number of bites reported, and number of rabies cases identified. Reported bites were followed up with more questions regarding the animal, location of bite, severity, treatment protocol, and outcome.
The surveyed zoos averaged 550000 yearly visitors and 44 fulltime employees per year. Only 1 zoo recorded a rabies incidence rate that was not reported by this study. Over a 5-year period 7 to 9 bites occurred on average. For those bites, 77% of the mammals were vaccinated. Only 50% of visitors sought care, and subsequently 25% received a rabies vaccine. Most employees, 75%, did not seek further medical care. Though this study is limited by detail, the authors recommend a more universally adopted protocol for vaccination and treatment of mammalian bites. Currently, only 66% of responding zoos have such a protocol.