Table 1.
Major rabies reservoir hosts in the Western Hemisphere.
| Reservoir host common name |
Virus variant common name (reservoir host species) | Geographic range | Frequency of human infections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bat-maintained rabies virus variants | |||
| New World bats | Nearly 30 rabies virus variants in more than 20 different bat species | All Western Hemisphere | Rare |
| Bat-related rabies virus variants | |||
| Raccoons | Raccoon variant (Procyon lotor) | Eastern United States and Southeast and Central Canada | Rare |
| Skunks | South-central skunk variant (Mephitis mephitis) and North-central skunk Mexico variant (Spilogale putorious) | South-central U. S. and North-central Mexico | Rare |
| Marmoset | Sagui/marmoset variant (Callithrix jacchus) | Northeastern Brazil | Rare |
| Kinkaju | Chosna/Kinkajou variant (Potos flavus) | Peru (Amazon region) | Never reported |
| Dog-maintained rabies virus variants | |||
| Dogs | Dog lineages from specific countries | Marginal distribution across Latin America and the Caribbean | Common in rabies hot spots |
| Dog-related rabies virus variants | |||
| Grey fox | Texas gray fox variant (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) | Texas (extinct) | Never reported |
| Grey fox | Arizona gray fox variant (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) | Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Northwest | Rare |
| Mexico | |||
| Crab-eating fox | Crab-eating fox variant (Cerdocyon thous) | Northeastern Brazil | Rare |
| Peruvian fox | Peruvian fox variant (Lycalopex sechurae) | Northwestern Peru | Never reported |
| Striped skunk | California skunk variant (Mephitis mephitis) | California U. S. | Never reported |
| Striped skunk | Sinaloa, Durango, Sonora skunk variant (Mephitis mephitis) | Northwestern Mexico | Rare |
| Spotted skunk | Baja California Sur Mexico (Spilogale putorious lucasana) | Baja California Sur Mexico | Rare |
| Coyote | Coyote/dog variant (Canis latrans) | South Eastern U. S (extinct), North Eastern | Once reported |
| Mexico (likely present) | |||
| Mongoose | Mongoose/dog variant (Herpestes javanicus) | Caribbean | Common |
| Arctic fox | Arctic fox variant (Vulpes lagopus) | Alaska, Canada, Greenland | Once reported |