Critical analysis of the cat’s role in the epidemiology of rabies

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal zoonosis of world importance that in many respects is still neglected. Due to national vaccination campaigns for dogs and cats there has been a drastic reduction in the number of cases of human rabies transmitted by dogs. However, due to species peculiarities, the cat can act as an important link in the epidemiological chain of rabies. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate Brazilian data on canine and feline rabies surveillance to determine the importance of the cat in the current context of rabies epidemiology. In Brazil, recent cases of human rabies transmitted by cats have been reported, showing the importance of this species in the epidemiological chain of the disease.