ABSTRACT
Early reports indicate that skunk rabies occurred in parts of North America at least 160 years ago. 1 It was a serious human health hazard in the western and midwestern U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s, 2 , 3 but was less common in the 1920s and 1930s. During the past 40 years skunk rabies has progressed from being infrequent to being the major component of wildlife rabies in many parts of Canada and the U.S. (Figure 1). Although all species of North American skunks are susceptible to the disease, the striped skunk is the sole or predominant indigenous species in most regions and, consequently, most enzootic “skunk rabies” is in this species. The spread of skunk rabies is generally slow, but once established the disease remains enzootic for long periods. This persistence of rabies in skunks and the fact that enzootic skunk rabies is maintained in areas with no or infrequent rabies in other wildlife species indicate that the disease is not likely to subside spontaneously and that the skunk must be considered in control of wildlife rabies. Skunk rabies in North America, 1988 (a compilation of statistics from Animal Diseases Research Institute, Nepean, Ontario and Lethbridge, Alberta and Centers for Disease Control, Lawrence ville, GA). Shaded areas illustrate the distribution of skunk rabies. The numbers are the number of positive skunks per province or state. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203736371/00fe4a2d-905d-4a99-ae8f-b71c8e512415/content/fig15_1.tif"/>
