Matt Bai decided to get his cat a turkey for Thanksgiving and went off to Central Park with a bow and arrows to find one. Unfortunately he just winged the biggest turkey, and it attacked and bit him. He came into the ED wondering if he should get a rabies shot. What do you think?
No! Rabies only infects mammals (so, not turkeys… or pigeons for that matter). In developing countries, dogs account for 90% of cases transmitted to humans, but in the US, 93% of cases come from wild animals. The four major animal reservoirs are bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, but rabies has also been seen in small rodents including rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits.
Happy Thanksgiving!