Rabies viruses belong to the genus Lyssavirus in the family Rhabdoviridae.The root
of the genus name is attributed to the Greek goddess Lyssa, the spirit of rage, frenzy,
madness, and rabies; the word rabies itself is derived from the Latin term for
madness and raving.There are over 100 viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae,including vesicular
stomatitis and bovine ephemeral fever. Rhabdoviridae are enveloped, single-stranded
RNA viruses with a characteristic bullet shape. There are 6 known species of
Lyssavirus. Rabies virus is the only one of...