澳大利亚至今未发现过狂犬病。但是目前在土生土长的澳大利亚人身上出现了由狂犬病毒属(Lyssavirus)的病原引起的脑炎病例:一名39岁的澳大利亚妇女在1996年底因严重的神经症状被送入医院。这位妇女由于爱护动物曾经照料过有病及受伤的蝙蝠,并被其中的几只抓伤及啮咬。她发病时,先出现左臂乏力及运动障碍,随着神经症状的加重而被诊断为脑炎。经过20天的病程后死亡。血清学检验证实引起病症的是狂犬病毒属中的一个新的种:7型狂犬病毒或翼形蝙蝠病毒(Pteroid Bat Virus)。 Rabies has not been found in Australia so far. However, cases of encephalitis caused by the pathogen of the genus Lyssavirus are present in native Australians: a 39-year-old Australian woman was admitted to the hospital in late 1996 for serious neurological symptoms. The woman had taken care of diseased and injured bats because she loved animals and was caught and bitten by some of them. Her onset, the first appeared in the left arm fatigue and dyskinesia, with the aggravation of neurological symptoms were diagnosed with encephalitis. After 20 days of course of death. Serological tests confirmed that the disease causing is a new species of the genus Rabies: 7 rabies virus or Pteroid Bat Virus.