New Rabies Strain Discovered in New Mexico, Public Health Vet Says It’s ‘Exciting’

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Federal and state health officials in southern New Mexico have confirmed that a new strain of rabies has been discovered. Scientists are excited about the new discovery as it has been several years since a new strain of rabies was discovered in the United States.

According to NBC News, the strain was found in April when a 78-year-old woman was bitten by a rabid fox and presumably taken to a health care facility for treatment. The strain was genetically tested at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta.

Scientists found that it was an unidentified strain of rabies. State officials believe the rabid fox that bit the elderly woman came into contact with a bat that was infected with the unidentified strain of rabies. 

Paul Ettestad, state public health veterinarian, says, "It has probably been out there for some time. We just haven't looked that hard for it and by chance we found it." 

"It's exciting. It's related to another bat strain. It's similar but unique, so the question is what's the reservoir for this strain," Ettestad added. 

NBC News explains: "A reservoir refers to animals that carry and spread the virus. In many cases, that can be bats, skunks, or raccoons. Those animals usually aren't tested because it's assumed they have known strains of rabies." 

Since 2007, health and wildlife officials in New Mexico have been tracking rabies in the fox population, reports Time. A separate strain was found in Arizona gray foxes, which crossed over into New Mexico.  

Ettestad says the Health Department will work with New Mexico wildlife officers to collect dead foxes and bats found along roadways in Lincoln County in order to identify the new strain of rabies. 

New Mexico has confirmed two cases of rabies this year. Time notes the state is not a "hot zone" for the virus and in fact ranks near the bottom in terms of the number of rabies-related cases reported each year.  

According to NBC News, the rabies virus evolves according to the animal it infects. Around 100,000 animals are tested for rabies in the U.S. each year, and 6,000 of these animals turn out to be positive of having the virus. 

In addition, rabies kills over 50,000 people annually worldwide, reports the World Health Organization. Fortunately, there is a vaccine to prevent the infection of the rabies virus.