Which animal is the major cause of human rabies in the United States?

• A. Bats
• B. Rabbits
• C. Rodents
• D. Dogs

Answer: (A)

Rabies transmission to humans most often comes from bites that introduce the virus in saliva, and in the United States the landscape has shifted because dogs are widely vaccinated. Bats remain the leading source of human rabies exposures, partly because bat bites can be very small and go unnoticed, so many exposures are recognized only after contact has occurred. This combination of high bat exposure risk and effective vaccination reducing canine rabies makes bats the primary source for human cases. While wildlife like raccoons and skunks can carry rabies, they contribute less to human cases compared with bats. Rabbits and rodents are not common reservoirs for rabies in the U.S.