WHY IS LYSSA THE DEADLIEST?
In the 1970s, Europe witnessed an unusual event as thousands of chicken heads descended from the sky, bringing joy and bewilderment to foxes and other wildlife. The reason behind this peculiar occurrence was a strategic effort to combat the relentless rabies epidemic that had plagued wildlife populations since the 1930s. Recognizing rabies as one of the deadliest viruses known to humanity, authorities sought innovative solutions. Lyssa can transform animals into enraged creatures and induce a zombie with a fear of water in humans. However, the intrigue surrounding Lyssa extends beyond the peculiar and lethal nature of its infection. What makes Lyssa truly captivating is its exceptional skill in evading our immune defenses. Viruses teeter on the boundary between life and death, essentially comprising a mere handful of genetic instructions reliant on living cells for replication. The lyssavirus, while straightforward for a virus, possesses a simplicity that underscores its effectiveness. With just five genes, encoding instructions for five crucial proteins, the lyssavirus adeptly tackles intricate challenges: infiltrating a mammal, evading its immune defenses, navigating to the brain, replicating itself, and propagating the infection to new hosts.