Gain-Of-Function Research on Rabies

In 2017, a team of researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston published a study in the journal Nature Microbiology that showed that they had successfully created a strain of rabies virus that was more transmissible than the wild-type virus. This means that the virus was able to spread more easily from one animal to another.

The researchers created the more transmissible strain of rabies virus by making a few changes to the genome of the virus. They inserted a gene from another virus that made the rabies virus more efficient at entering cells. They also made a change to the structure of the rabies virus's glycoprotein, which is the protein that allows the virus to attach to cells.

The researchers' findings have important implications for public health. They raise the possibility that a more transmissible strain of rabies virus could emerge in the wild. This could make it more difficult to control the spread of rabies, and could lead to an increase in the number of human cases.

However, it is important to note that the researchers who created the more transmissible strain of rabies virus did not do so with the intention of making a more dangerous virus. Their goal was to better understand how the virus works, and to develop new vaccines and treatments.

The research on gain-of-function rabies is still in its early stages, and there is much that we do not yet know about the potential risks and benefits of this type of research. However, it is important to continue to study rabies and other viruses in order to better understand how they work, and to develop new ways to prevent and treat them.

The symptoms of rabies in humans can vary depending on the severity of the infection and the location of the bite. However, the most common symptoms include: Fever, Headache, Nausea and vomiting, Agitation, Confusion, Hyperactivity, Difficulty, swallowing, Excessive salivation, Fear of water (hydrophobia), Hallucinations, Insomnia, Paralysis, Death