Diseases and surveillance

Australian bat lyssavirus

Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) causes a rare but serious disease in humans. Anyone bitten or scratched by a bat in Australia should seek urgent medical attention. We monitor and report on human ABLV cases in our community.

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At a glance

About Australian bat lyssavirus

Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is closely related to the rabies virus. It is unique to Australia. Any bat in Australia, including flying foxes, could carry ABLV.

ABLV can spread to a person who is bitten or scratched by an infected bat.

ABLV causes a rare but serious disease in humans. Anyone who has been scratched or bitten by a bat requires urgent medical attention so the correct management can be given.

Even people who have had previous vaccination for rabies need to seek medical attention if they are exposed, as additional vaccine doses may be needed. 

Why it matters to public health

Human ABLV infections are rare. When it does occur, ABLV infection causes a serious illness which is almost always fatal.

Because of the seriousness of ABLV infections, we work with colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors at the national and state and territory levels to ensure a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring and reporting of ABLV.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

ABLV infections have a similar clinical presentation to rabies. 

The illness usually starts with flu-like symptoms that may last from a few days to weeks. Common symptoms include:

The illness then progresses to:

ABLV usually causes death within 1 to 2 weeks of onset of symptoms.

Read more about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of ABLV.

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Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start 2 to 3 months after exposure to the virus, but this can range from 5 days to several years.

How it spreads

ABLV spreads to people through a bite or scratch from an infected bat. The urine, faeces and blood of infected bats are not known to be infectious.

There have been no reports of human-to-human transmission of ABLV.

Infectious period

The infectious period for humans infected with ABLV is unknown.

Prevention

The best way to protect yourself from ABLV is not to touch bats, especially if they are sick or injured. Instead, immediately call WIRES Rescue Line on 1300 094 737.

ABLV is vaccine preventable – the same vaccines are effective against ABLV and rabies.

Vaccination is recommended for people who are at greater risk of exposure through their work or other activities. These include:

  • people who work or volunteer with bats
  • wildlife carers
  • laboratory workers who work with live lyssaviruses. 

If you have been scratched or bitten by a bat in Australia, act quickly to prevent infection – seek immediate medical attention, even if you are vaccinated.

If you are bitten or scratched by a bat in Australia:

  • wash the wound for at least 15 minutes with soap and water
  • apply an antiseptic with antiviral properties
  • if your eyes, nose or mouth have been exposed, immediately flush with water
  • seek urgent medical attention (even if you have been vaccinated for rabies).

All bats in Australia should be considered potentially infected and able to transmit ABLV.

Your doctor may recommend:

  • a course of rabies vaccination
  • rabies immunoglobulin (for people who have not previously been vaccinated).

You may also be asked when you were last vaccinated against tetanus. You may require a tetanus booster.

Priority groups and settings

People at greater risk of severe disease

People who are unvaccinated are at greater risk of severe illness and death.

People at greater risk of exposure

People who may have contact with bats are at greater risk of ABLV. This includes people who work, volunteer or undertake other activities with bats.

Laboratory staff who work with live lyssaviruses are also at greater risk of exposure.

If you are at greater risk of exposure to ABLV, it is especially important to: 

  • discuss rabies vaccination with your healthcare professional before you start working with bats or lyssaviruses
  • follow your healthcare professional’s advice on booster doses
  • undertake any relevant training, including about the safe handling of bats and use of personal protective equipment.

Diagnosis and treatment

ABLV infection can be diagnosed with a test, which may require:

  • saliva
  • cerebrospinal fluid
  • skin biopsy from the back of the neck.

The sample used depends on the stage of the disease.

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There is no specific treatment for ABLV. If you have symptoms, you will need to be cared for in hospital.

Read more about how to manage or treat ABLV.

Surveillance and reporting

ABLV is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. 

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease and exposure patterns. 

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information. 

Read more about ABLV testing in bats.

Support

For information about ABLV in your state or territory see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

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Disease

Infectious agent

Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a member of the Rhabdoviridae family, genus Lyssavirus. It is closely related to rabies virus, which is also a Lyssavirus. There are 2 known variants of ABLV. [1] [2]

ABLV is unique to Australia. Any bat in Australia is considered able to carry and transmit ABLV.

Clinical presentation

ABLV infections in humans have a similar clinical presentation to classical rabies.

Initial (prodromal) symptoms may last from a few days to weeks, and typically include:

  • fever
  • pain or sensory changes at the site of infection
  • malaise
  • headache
  • anorexia (loss of appetite)
  • anxiety.

One of 2 major clinical forms of disease then develops.

Encephalitic or furious rabies occurs in about 80%[3] of symptomatic patients and causes:

  • hyperactivity
  • anxiety and agitation
  • hydrophobia (fear of water based on throat spasms during attempts to drink)
  • aerophobia (fear of air due to throat spasms triggered by a draft of air)
  • autonomic overactivity, including hypersalivation, sweating and dilated pupils
  • delirium
  • seizures.

Paralytic rabies occurs in about one-third of patients. It causes ascending flaccid paralysis of limbs and respiratory muscles but has little impact on consciousness until late in their course of disease.

ABLV typically causes death from heart or respiratory failure within 1 to 2 weeks of symptom onset.

Read more about symptoms, diagnosis and medical management of ABLV.

Public health importance

ABLV is a public health priority in Australia due to its near 100% fatality rate in humans once symptoms appear.

Although bat bites and scratches are rare, they require urgent medical management and are associated with significant psychological burden.

Because of the seriousness of human ABLV infections, we  work with colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors at the national and state and territory levels to ensure a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring and reporting of ABLV.

Epidemiology

There have been 4 reported cases of human ABLV infections in Australia – all have been fatal. These cases were reported in Queensland in 1996, 1998 and 2013, and New South Wales in 2025. ABLV became nationally notifiable in 2001.

The prevalence of ABLV in Australian bat populations is estimated to be less than 1% in healthy bats, but is higher in bats that are sick, injured or orphaned.[4]

In 2013, ABLV was also detected in 2 horses in Australia.[5]

For the latest information on human ABLV cases in Australia see the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) data visualisation tool.

Spread of infection

Transmission

ABLV is transmitted to people through exposure to the saliva of infected bats through a scratch or bite. There is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission of ABLV.

Other possible modes of transmission, based on rabies virus transmission, include:

  • exposure of mucous membranes (eyes, nose and mouth) to contaminated saliva
  • transplantation of infected tissues or organs.

Blood, urine and faeces are not considered to be infectious.

Incubation period

The incubation period for ABLV is not well-established. It is thought to be similar to rabies virus, which has an incubation period of 5 days to several years (usually 2 to 3 months).[6] [7]

The incubation period may vary depending on factors such as:

  • the location of the exposure site and proximity to the brain
  • the extent of the injury
  • the size of the virus inoculum
  • existing immunity.

Infectious period

The infectious period for humans infected with ABLV is unknown.

Priority populations

People at greater risk of severe disease

Any person who is unvaccinated is at risk of severe disease if infected.

Read more about measures people can take to protect themselves.

People at greater risk of exposure

The risk of exposure is greater for:

  • people who work, volunteer, care for or undertake other activities with bats
  • laboratory staff who work with lyssaviruses.

See what measures people can take to protect themselves.

Prevention

Vaccination

Pre-exposure vaccination is recommended for people who are at greater risk of exposure to the virus through their work or other activities.

Post-exposure vaccination is recommended for people who may have been exposed to ABLV.

See the Australian Immunisation Handbook for more information.

Other prevention steps

The best protection against ABLV infection is to avoid contact with bats.

People should only handle bats if they:

  • have undertaken relevant training
  • have been vaccinated (including recommended booster doses)
  • are using appropriate personal protective equipment.

WIRES Rescue Line (call 1300 094 737) can refer callers to experts trained in bat handling and rescue in each state and territory.

If a potential ABLV exposure has occurred, the treating clinician must notify the local public health unit immediately.

To minimise the risk of infection following a potential exposure to ABLV, treating clinicians must:

  • notify the local public health unit immediately to ensure appropriate post-exposure management – they will advise on wound management, post-exposure rabies vaccination and human rabies immunoglobulin (if indicated)
  • assess the person’s tetanus status (and provide vaccination if required)
  • assess and manage the risk of other potential wound infections.

To guide the management of the exposure, the public health unit will contact the person to determine:

  • their exposure category
  • past medical history (including immune status)
  • vaccination history.

The public health unit must also be notified if there is uncertainty about whether an exposure event did occur, including if there was contact with a dead bat. They will contact the person to:

  • gather information
  • undertake a risk assessment
  • determine the appropriate management.

If the bat involved in the exposure event is available, the public health unit might arrange testing for ABLV.

See the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) national guidelines for public health units for detailed guidance on the management of potential ABLV exposures.

Prevention among priority populations

Vaccination is the best protection against ABLV for people at greater risk of exposure. This includes any recommended booster doses.

It is important people handling bats are trained in their safe handling – this includes using appropriate personal protective equipment.

Diagnosis and clinical management

Diagnosis

ABLV is diagnosed through laboratory testing in symptomatic patients where ABLV is considered as a possible cause.

The sample used for testing depends on the stage of the disease and may include:

  • saliva
  • cerebrospinal fluid
  • skin biopsy from the back of the neck (nuchal biopsy).

A specialist microbiologist should be contacted for advice about specimen collection and the testing process.

Diagnosis may also be made post-mortem using brain tissue.

Laboratory case definition

Clinical management

Appropriate clinical management is essential to prevent ABLV infection after an exposure event.

There is no known effective treatment for symptomatic ABLV infection. People with ABLV require hospital-based care.

Notification and reporting

Surveillance case definition

National notification and reporting

ABLV infection in humans is a nationally notifiable disease. This means certain health professionals must report diagnoses through their relevant health authorities.

Check how to report laboratory-confirmed ABLV infection cases or related death in your state or territory:

State and territory health authorities report new cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, as part of our surveillance activities.

We report case numbers through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

This helps us to:

  • identify contacts of ABLV cases to provide appropriate advice and prophylaxis
  • monitor the epidemiology of ABLV infection in humans to better inform prevention strategies.

We take a One Health approach to the surveillance of ABLV. As well as human surveillance, we work with government agencies for agriculture and the environment to monitor ABLV in bats. 

Testing in bats may also occur:

  • following public health unit requests for testing
  • after contact with a pet dog or cat
  • because a bat was injured or unwell.

See Wildlife Health Australia.

Public health response

National public health guidelines

Management of cases

Public health units investigate all confirmed human cases of ABLV and suspected cases where the clinical picture is highly suspicious of ABLV.

Case management focuses on determining:

  • the likely source of infection
  • the circumstances and type of exposure
  • whether any other people or mammals were also exposed.

Public health units urgently undertake active case finding for other people who may have been exposed and assess the need for post exposure prophylaxis.

Urgent veterinary advice should be sought for any exposed animals.

Management of contacts

Public health units undertake contact tracing of human ABLV cases to:

Special situations and high-risk settings

Some situations might require the public health unit to follow up, in conjunction with animal health authorities where indicated. These include where there is:

  • active contact tracing following reports of a confirmed ABLV in a bat
  • a domestic mammal exposed to a bat in Australia.

Resources

See:

References

  • 1 C Deffrasnes, MX Luo, et al., ‘Phenotypic divergence of P proteins of Australian bat lyssavirus lineages circulating in microbats and flying foxes’, Viruses, 2021, 13(5):831, doi:10.3390/v13050831.
  • 2 AR Gould, JA Kattenbelt, et al., ‘Characterisation of an Australian bat lyssavirus variant isolated from an insectivorous bat’, Virus Research, 2002, 89(1):1-28, doi:10.1016/s0168-1702(02)00056-4.
  • 3 TP Scott and LH Nel, ‘Lyssaviruses and the fatal encephalitic disease rabies’, Frontiers in Immunology, 2021, 12:786953, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.786953.
  • 4 H Field, The ecology of Hendra virus and Australian bat lyssavirus, PhD Thesis, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, 2004, doi:10.14264/13859.
  • 5 EJ Annand and PA Reid, ‘Clinical review of two fatal equine cases of infection with the insectivorous bat strain of Australian bat lyssavirus’, Australian Veterinary Journal, 2014, 92(9):324–332, doi:10.1111/avj.12227.
  • 6 World Health Organization, ‘Rabies’, 5 June 2024, accessed 3 July 2025.
  • 7 M Shengli, L Qian, et al., ‘A case of human rabies with a long incubation period in Wuhan’, IDCases, 2020, 23:e00998, doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00998.

Latest resources

Rabies and other lyssavirus – CDNA National Guidelines for Public Health Units

These guidelines for Public Health Units provide nationally consistent guidance on how to respond to rabies virus and other lyssavirus (including Australian bat lyssavirus). They are part of a Series of National Guidelines (SoNGs) published by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA).

Australian bat lyssavirus infection – Surveillance case definition

This document contains the surveillance case definition for Australian bat lyssavirus infection, which is nationally notifiable within Australia. State and territory health departments use this definition to decide whether to notify us of a case.

Australian bat lyssavirus infection – Laboratory case definition

The Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) has developed standard case definitions for the diagnosis of key diseases in Australia. This document contains the laboratory case definition for Australian bat lyssavirus infection.
Related resources
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Disease groups:
  • Zoonotic