Dr. Phil is a Joke Blog

     Presently, there are at least three recognized skunk strains of the rabies virus in the United States. The northern skunk strain found in the north central midwestern plains and eastern states is similar to the fox and dog strains of Texas and Arizona. The southern skunk strain occurs in the south central states. This strain is more similar to the raccoon strain found on the East Coast. A third strain occurs in California and is similar to the gray fox strain in Texas (Krebs et al. 1995). Recently, new strains of skunk rabies also have been found in Mexico (Loza-Rubio et al., 1999; de Mattos et al., 1999).Skunks do succumb to rabies in the eastern states as well, but the strain in that area is associated with rabid raccoons. Skunks are not yet known to maintain that strain in their populations, but issues of spillover and potential establishment are worrisome, because current oral vaccines targeting raccoons do not effectively immunize skunks (Tolson et al., 1987). Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where only the raccoon strain occurs, had more rabid skunks than raccoons reported in 1999 (Krebs et al., 2000), which suggests that the raccoon strain potentially could become enzootic in skunk populations. Additionally, in 2001 several skunks were diagnosed with a bat strain (big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus) of the rabies virus in Flagstaff, Arizona (2001 annual meeting of the Rabies in the Americas meeting, Ontario, Canada). Skunks are susceptible to the various strains of rabies found in terrestrial mammals and bats.
          Transfer of rabies virus from skunks to humans is a well-recognized health threat in urban areas.Striped skunks are often attracted to housing areas, due to the presence of pet food, water, garbage, and high populations of invertebrates in urban landscaping, and consequently are more likely to encounter humans and their pets. Striped skunks are believed to account for a substantial number of animal-to-human exposures (not infections) each year (Krebs at al., 1995). Most information on prevalence and molecular biology of the rabies virus in terrestrial wildlife comes from animals submitted for testing following human exposure. Little is known about the prevalence of rabies in natural populations, and how enzootic or epizootic levels of the disease interact with the ecology of various species (Greenwood et al., 1997; Krebs et al., 1995; Tinline, 1988). Moreover, data are needed on the population dynamics and genetics, space use, and mortality patterns of skunks in urban and remote areas to enhance our knowledge of the ecology and disease status of these species. For example, Greenwood et al., (1997) noted that 36 of the 40 cases of reported skunk rabies in North Dakota during 1992 would have gone unnoticed if not for their study.