Why does the disease rabies have the symptom hydrophobia?

Question

We all know that hydrophobia is one of the symptoms of rabies.My doubt is how does this rabies virus give the patients the fear for water,the so called hydrophobia.How is this causing the same physicological effect on all patients.Is that a defect of gene or phsyicology.It is also said that those patients behave like dogs.Is it true?If yes,why is it so.

Answer 1

There are two common types of rabies. One type is "furious" rabies. Animals with this type are hostile, may bite at objects, and have an increase in saliva. In the movies and in books, rabid animals foam at the mouth. In real life, rabid animals look like they have foam in their mouth because they have more saliva.

The second and more common form is known as paralytic or "dumb" rabies. An animal with "dumb" rabies is timid and shy. It often rejects food and has paralysis of the lower jaw and muscles.

The reason that rabies cause hydrophobia in the victims of the virus is the paralysis of the lower jaw and throat muscles. The fear of water comes from the pain of swallowing during this time.

Humans that contract rabies can act in many differant ways. When a person has contracted the virus it enters directly in the periphal nervous system, then to the central nervous system. It can cause anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, cerebal disfunction. insomia and agitation.
Do not know about actually acting like a dog, but the virus will cause differant effects on differant people.

Answer 2

Rabies, acute, contagious infection of the central nervous system, caused by a specific virus that enters the body through the bite of an animal. All warm-blooded animals are susceptible, but in North America the disease is most common in skunks, foxes, bats, raccoons, dogs, and cats. Most of the cases of rabies in humans are caused by the bite of one of these animals. The incubation period in humans varies from three weeks to 120 days, with an average of about four to six weeks. Rabies is virtually always fatal when vaccine is not administered. Rabies is described in medical writings dating from 300 bc, but the method of transmission or contagion was not recognized until 1804. In 1884 the French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur developed a preventive vaccine against rabies, and modifications of Pasteur's methods are still used in rabies therapy today. The Pasteur program, or variations of it, has greatly reduced the fatalities in humans from rabies. Modern treatment, following a bite by a rabid or presumed rabid animal, consists of immediate and thorough cleansing of the bite wound and injection into the wound and elsewhere of hyperimmune antirabies serum. A 14- to 30-day course of daily injections of rabies vaccine is then given; booster doses are given 10 days after this course and again 20 days later. The traditional vaccine contains inactivated rabies virus grown in duck eggs. A newer vaccine, which contains virus prepared from human cells grown in the laboratory, is safer and requires a shorter course of injections .well hav u seen a person affected by rabies . i saw many dying in our hospital. its one of difficult diseases to cure once it has affected the brain . so stay away from stray dogs . if u find many of them in street report it to the officials .

Answer 3

Actually it does not at least not directly - it caused paralysis of the muscles used to swallow (therefore the foaming saliva that cant be swallowed). so the animal can not swallow the water and so advoids drinking.
There was a rabid horse at the horse clinic near me. He was scary. Kicked the wall till his legs bled, savaged (bit) himself till he was muzzled and drank bucket after bucket of water through the muzzle . Then the paralyis started to set in & they relized what was wrong & put him down.