A rabid cow bites the hand that feeds it

Abstract

A possibly rabid dog bit the farmer’s cow, which developed rabies, and, in turn, accidentally bit the farmer. Fortunately, the farmer was informed about the risk of cow-transmitted rabies and took precautions by visiting a rabies prevention center where he received appropriate treatment, including wound cleaning and a quality vaccine. Rabies immune globulin was not necessary because he had been previously vaccinated against rabies; a booster dose was enough to trigger the anamnestic response. After receiving two doses of the vaccine intradermally, he developed protective antibodies. A total of 3 weeks after the bite, the cow demonstrated altered behavior and died. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction on biopsy of the cow’s brain subsequently confirmed the presence of rabies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a rabid cow biting a human. Timely intervention with proper postexposure prophylaxis saved the cow bite victim from rabies.