Human Rabies

A 6-year-old boy developed rabies 71 days after he was bitten by a dog, and died 27 days later. Intensive supportive medical treatment prolonged the clinical course, which was complicated by apnea, cardiac arrest, hypotension, inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, and diabetes insipidus. The diagnosis of rabies was confirmed by virus isolation and rising antibody titers prior to death and by virus isolation and fluorescent antibody staining of brain tissue at autopsy.