Fatal Rabies Encephalitis despite Appropriate Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

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Abstract
RABIES encephalitis was one of the earliest diseases known.1 Because rabies is uniformly fatal, every attempt must be made to prevent invasion of the virus. Since the introduction of a rabies vaccine in 1885, post-exposure vaccination has formed the cornerstone of prophylaxis after the bite of a rabid animal. Occasional cases of failure of prophylaxis followed the use of the early duck-embryo vaccine and rabies immune globulin.1 In several of these cases, however, unacceptably long delays had preceded the institution of therapy.1 In one case, in which duck-embryo vaccine and rabies immune globulin were promptly administered, a suboptimal immune response . . .

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