Rabies virus hijacks nerve transport system to hasten to brain

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that targets the brain and nervous system once it gets into a new host, usually via the bite of an infected animal. Now new research led by Tel Aviv University in Israel has discovered the molecular mechanism that the virus uses to get from the bite wound to the brain as quickly as possible. The researchers report their findings in the journalPLOS Pathogens. Rabies, which causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, is almost always fatal if not treated early. According to the World Health Organization, rabies occurs in more than 150 countries, and kills over 60,000 people every year, mostly in Asia and Africa. Many disease pathogens spread through the body via the bloodstream, powered along by the pumping of the heart. But those that travel outside the bloodstream have to use some other means of transport. Rabies virus uses the network of nerve...