Five Gene Virus, Virtually Fatal

The rabies virus has a genome that codes for only five genes, yet it has an almost 100 percent fatality rate once clinical symptoms appear. After an infected animal transmits the virus, it travels through the nervous system to the brain, where it causes acute encephalitis and characteristic neurological symptoms. At that stage, effective treatment is virtually nonexistent, and documented survivors are extremely rare, which is why post-exposure vaccination must occur before symptoms begin.

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