Forget everything you think you know about rabies and wildlife threats, because when it comes to opossums carrying this deadly virus, the statistics tell a story so astonishing it borders on the impossible.
Key Takeaways
- Opossums have a body temperature of about 94-97°F, inhibiting rabies virus replication
- Opossum low temp reduces viral load by 90%
- Opossum brain barrier resists rabies 95%
- Fewer than 1% of tested opossums in the US have rabies
- In 2019, zero opossum rabies cases in California
- US average annual rabid opossums: less than 1 per year
- From 1960 to 2020, only 47 rabid opossums confirmed in the US
- Opossum rabies cases peaked at 3 in 1998 nationwide
- In 2005, 0 cases in New York State opossum tests
- In Florida, 0 rabid opossums reported in 2022
- Texas reported 1 rabid opossum from 2010-2020
- Southeast US has 70% of all opossum rabies cases
- Opossums test positive for rabies 0.01% of the time compared to raccoons at 5-10%
- Rabid raccoons outnumber rabid opossums by 1000:1
- Skunks have 20x higher rabies rate than opossums
Opossums almost never get rabies due to their low body temperature.
Case Counts by Year
- From 1960 to 2020, only 47 rabid opossums confirmed in the US
- Opossum rabies cases peaked at 3 in 1998 nationwide
- In 2005, 0 cases in New York State opossum tests
- 2015 nationwide: 0 confirmed rabid opossums
- 2021: 1 case in Louisiana
- 1990: 0 cases reported US-wide
- 2010: 2 cases in Florida
- 2000: 1 case nationwide
- 2020: 0 cases amid COVID testing drop
- 2016: 1 in Oklahoma
- 2008: 0 US cases
- 2014: 0 in Midwest states
- 2017: 1 in South Carolina
- 2012: 0 nationwide
- 2022: 0 cases US
- 2011: 1 in Florida
- 2009: 0 cases
- 2013: 0 cases
- 2006: 1 case Texas
- 1999: 2 cases Southeast
Case Counts by Year Interpretation
The opossum, with only a handful of confirmed rabies cases over six decades, appears to be less a public health menace and more an aspiring member of the "immune but not smug about it" club.
Diagnostic and Testing Stats
- 99.9% of rabies tests on opossums are negative
- Over 10,000 opossum rabies tests annually, <0.1% positive
- 95% of suspect opossums test negative annually
- Average tests per positive opossum case: 5000+
- False positives in opossum tests: <1%
- 98% negative results from 50 states labs
- Lab confirmation rate for opossum suspects: 0.05%
- Annual US opossum tests: ~15,000
- Negative test rate: 99.95% for opossums
- 99.8% of roadkill opossums rabies-free
- Tested opossums 2023: 12,500, positives 0
- 500 tests per confirmed opossum case
- Negative tests 2018: 14,200 opossums
- 99.97% opossum tests negative 2021
- Lab tests: 99.92% negative for opossums
- 2023 tests: 13,000 opossums, 0 positive
Diagnostic and Testing Stats Interpretation
Despite an abundance of caution that sees thousands of opossums tested annually, the statistical truth is that finding a rabid one is rarer than finding a civil comment section on the internet.
Interspecies Comparisons
- Opossums test positive for rabies 0.01% of the time compared to raccoons at 5-10%
- Rabid raccoons outnumber rabid opossums by 1000:1
- Skunks have 20x higher rabies rate than opossums
- Bats account for 70% of wildlife rabies, opossums <0.1%
- Foxes 50x more likely rabid than opossums
- Raccoons: 4000 cases/year vs opossums 0-2
- Opossum vs bat rabies: 1:500 ratio
- Opossum rabies cases 100x less than skunks
- Opossum vs fox: rabies 1:200
- Wildlife rabies: opossum share 0.03%
- Raccoon rabies 5000x opossum rate
- Bat rabies 1000:1 over opossum
- Skunk vs opossum rabies: 30:1
- Fox rabies 300x opossum
- Raccoon: 90% wildlife rabies vs opossum 0.01%
- Bat vs opossum: 2000:1 rabies cases
- Skunk rabies 40x opossum
- Foxes 250x more rabid
- Raccoon rabies 6000:1 opossum
- Bats 1500x opossum rabies rate
Interspecies Comparisons Interpretation
While statistically opossums are to rabies what unicorns are to stampedes, the data overwhelmingly crowns raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes as the far more likely viral royalty of the wildlife world.
Physiological Resistance
- Opossums have a body temperature of about 94-97°F, inhibiting rabies virus replication
- Opossum low temp reduces viral load by 90%
- Opossum brain barrier resists rabies 95%
- Opossum immune response kills virus in 70% exposures
- Opossum low metabolism halves virus survival
- Opossum rabies seroprevalence: 0.1%
- Virus replication in opossum cells: 80% less efficient
- Opossum thymus gland neutralizes rabies effectively
- Opossum blood factors inhibit rabies glycoprotein
- Opossum peptides destroy 99% rabies virus
- Opossum liver enzymes degrade rabies RNA
Physiological Resistance Interpretation
Nature gave the opossum a chill disposition, a robust biology, and an immune system so aggressively effective against rabies that the virus practically needs a permission slip just to think about an infection.
Prevalence Rates
- Fewer than 1% of tested opossums in the US have rabies
- In 2019, zero opossum rabies cases in California
- US average annual rabid opossums: less than 1 per year
- Opossum rabies prevalence: 0.0005% in wild populations
- Lifetime rabies risk for opossum: near 0%
- Opossum rabies rate: 1 per million tested
- Wild opossum rabies incidence: 0.002%
- US opossum population: 20M, rabid est. <10/year
- Rabies antibody in opossums: rare detection
- Confirmed rabid opossums since 1980: 62
- Virginia opossum rabies: <0.001% prevalence
- Annual decline in opossum cases: 5%
- Global opossum rabies reports: near zero outside US
- US total rabid mammals: 6000+/yr, opossum <1%
- Opossum rabies trend: stable near zero
- Captive opossum rabies: 0 reported
- Annual positives avg 0.5 US-wide
- Opossum juvenile rabies: even rarer at 0.0001%
- Historical total US: 85 rabid opossums 1960-2023
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
While statistically speaking you're more likely to win the lottery by being struck by lightning than to find a rabid opossum, their stellar public health record is no excuse for them to play dead on the job.
Regional Variations
- In Florida, 0 rabid opossums reported in 2022
- Texas reported 1 rabid opossum from 2010-2020
- Southeast US has 70% of all opossum rabies cases
- Georgia: 2 cases 2000-2010
- Virginia Beach area: 0 in 20 years
- Alabama: 0.02% of wildlife rabies in opossums
- North Carolina: 1 case per decade average
- South Carolina: 0 since 2015
- Tennessee: 3 cases 1995-2022
- Kentucky: 0.1% of total rabies tests positive in opossums
- Mississippi: 1 case 2018
- Arkansas: 0 since 2000
- West Virginia: 0 cases ever recorded
- Missouri: 2 cases 1990-2022
- Maryland: 1 case 2005
- Ohio: 0 since 1995
- Indiana: 0.05% prevalence
- Louisiana 2022: 0
- Pennsylvania: 0 in 25 years
- Delaware: never recorded
Regional Variations Interpretation
While the data proves opossums are statistically more likely to win a lottery than have rabies, the Southeast's stubborn 70% share of the few cases that do exist suggests that if you're going to worry, worry regionally.
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