**7.1 Epidemiology**

In Kenya, sheep and goats were the third most rabies-affected species [26]. The same situation was reported in Morocco [27] and Namibia [50]. In South Africa, rabies diagnosed in sheep were the fourth-highest figures after dogs, cattle, and goats [51]. In Oman, sheep and goats showed the third-highest positivity reported for rabies diagnosis [63]. During 2004–2018 in China, it was noticed that sheep were the third most (9.7%) affected species [46]. Confirmed rabies in sheep was the third-highest number following dogs and camels in Saudi Arabia during 2010–2017 [15]. Within the affected species, a low number of cases was reported in sheep in United States, Canada, and Mexico [53].

### **7.2 Clinical signs**

In sheep, attacking people and other animals besides other abnormal behavior was seen in Nigeria [29]. In Nigeria, observed clinical signs in a rabid ewe were aggressiveness, restlessness, corneal opacity, muscular tremor, hydrophobia, and salivation [57]. In an outbreak of rabies in sheep in China, clinical signs observed were arched back, tremors, and a swimming movement of all four limbs, followed by paralysis and death [9]. A paralytic form of rabies was reported in sheep in Brazil [54]. In another study in Brazil, clinical signs observed were abnormal gait, trembling, lateral recumbency, convulsion, opisthotonos, and fever [66]. Abortive rabies cases were reported in sheep in Peru, rabies virus neutralizing antibodies were detected in 3.6% of sheep that were healthy for two years later [55].

### **7.3 Transmission**

The main transmitter of rabies to sheep is dogs. In Africa, the source of most rabies reported cases in sheep was the dog [29, 57, 62]. In China, dogs are the main rabies transmitters, while in border areas, wild foxes are [46]; wild foxes were reported to transmit rabies to sheep [8]. An increase in rabies cases in sheep is associated with a rise in the disease incidence in red foxes in Europe [59]. Rabies transmission from sheep to human was reported; three patients got rabies from direct contact with their sheep which a wolf had attacked in Iran [10].
