**1. Introduction**

Rabies is the oldest known zoonotic fatal viral disease that affects only warmblooded mammals. The rabies virus (RABV) infects the central nervous system transmitted through direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue by an infected animal.

RABV almost exclusively infects neurons and eventually causing disease in the brain and death. The virus particle binds cell-surface receptors and follows the endosomal pathway. The virus's life cycle then advances, and following several days or months, the virus enters the peripheral nerves (**Figure 1**). It is then transported to the central nervous system by retrograde flow in the axons [1].

People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. Around 99% of human cases of rabies are due to dog bites or rarely from non-bite exposures, which include scratches, abrasions, or open wounds. RABV can infect any mammal. However, animal species reported to be involved in the transmission of rabies to domestic farm animals are dogs, foxes, wolves, jackals, and vampire bats (**Figure 2**).

The species of livestock and the carnivores that transmit RABV to them vary from geographical area to another. For instance, according to Kasem et al. (2019), camels, sheep and goats are the most affected species among farm animals by rabies (21.5%, 16.5%, and 16.5%, respectively) and foxes and wolves (11.4% and 2.5%, respectively) are the most common wild animals infected with rabies in Saudi Arabia (**Figure 3**). **Table 1** show reported animal rabies cases according to the reviewed articles in some Asian, African, European, and Latin American countries.

**Figure 1.**

*Pathogenesis and spread of rabies virus in animals from the bite site to the central nervous system.*

**Figure 2.**

*Rabies virus transmission cycle in bats, terrestrial animals, and livestock.*

The circulation of rabies virus among livestock has extraordinarily influenced endeavors to control the disease in humans as these animals are in regular contact with individuals. Additionally, affected livestock pose a potential risk to veterinarians and farmers, which underline the importance of applying rabies control measures to humans [15]. Rabies is a transmissible disease among animals causing economic

**Figure 3.**

*Suspected and confirmed cases of rabies in animals in Saudi Arabia recorded between 2010 and 2017 (modified from Table 1 in Kasem et al. [15].*

losses directly or indirectly on the local and national economy. Due to their total reliance on livestock for their livelihoods, the losses due to rabies are relatively high for pastoral peoples in rural areas of the world due to their total dependence on livestock. Nevertheless, rabies in livestock remains underreported in developing countries because most of these countries lack adequate and efficient reporting systems and only clinical diagnosis is accessible.
