Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed some of the internal cross-sectional structural morphology of a rabies virion (red,with arrow pointing to it) in this central nervous system tissue specimen. The virion is adjacent to a Negri body,which is pathognomonic in the positive diagnosis for Rabies. The virus infects the central nervous system,causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Rabies virus belongs to the order Mononegavirales,viruses with a non-segmented,negative-sense single-stranded RNA ((-) ssRNA) genomes. Within this group,viruses with a distinct bullet shape are classified in the Rhabdoviridae family,which includes at least three genera of animal viruses,Lyssavirus,Ephemerovirus,and Vesiculovirus. The genus Lyssavirus includes rabies virus,Lagos bat,Mokola virus,Duvenhage virus,European bat virus 1 & 2 and Australian bat virus. The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more |