James Stewart
Chris Prinzinger
Carole Rollins
Course: 7th Grade Science
Unit: Diversity of Life - Disease
Passage Title
Date: August 16, 2012
Source http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/08/surprising-rabies-resistance/
author: Stephen Ornes
Overarching Task: Identify how Amazon villagers survive deadly disease carried by vampire bats.
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Surprising rabies resistance
Amazon villagers survive deadly disease carried by vampire bats
By Stephen Ornes / August 16, 2012
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Vampire bats can carry the deadly rabies virus and transmit it to humans through bites. Credit: Daniel Streicker
1 Rabies is a terrible way to die. The disease is caused by a virus that spreads through animal bites.
Without treatment, it attacks the brain and can cause symptoms like hallucinations, paralysis, fever
and severe pain. Untreated, the disease is usually deadly — except to some people in a few Peruvian
villages, scientists now report.
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Closely read paragraph 1 independently. Reread and as
you do, underline any words or phrases that the author
uses to convey his message about the rabies disease
and its outcome. Share your ideas with a partner.
(RST. 6-8.6)
Virus
Animal bites
Symptoms – hallucinations, paralysis fever, sever pain
Disease is usually deadly
2 “Why these individuals don’t die is very intriguing,” Amy Gilbert told Science News. Gilbert is a
disease ecologist, a scientist who studies the relationship between germs and their homes. She
works for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her new study in the
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene identified these unusual people who caught the
rabies virus and survived without treatment.
3 The survivors live in a part of the Amazon rain forest populated by vampire bats — known carriers
Closely read paragraphs 2- 3.
What science question did the CDC want answered?
Go back into the text to support your answer. Discuss
your answer with your partner. (RST.6-8.1)
He wanted to know why these individuals from
Peruvian villages survived the rabies virus without
treatment.
of the rabies virus. In those communities, about 1 in 7 people seem to have developed a natural
resistance to the virus.
4 Each year, some 55,000 people worldwide die from rabies. Gilbert and her colleagues now find that
The ecologist described this issue as intriguing. With
your partner discuss the meaning of the word
intriguing in this text. Cite evidence to support your
understanding. (RST .6-8.4)
all of the Peruvian villagers who survived rabies reported having been bitten by a vampire bat. Only
one person reported having received a rabies vaccination.
Unusual people who caught the rabies virus and
survived without treatment.
5 All of the survivors came from communities that lacked formal roads. One community is a two-hour
boat ride away from the nearest health clinic; the other village is six hours from doctors.
Refer to paragraph 3.
6 Gilbert says that a vampire bat’s bite is mild compared with that of a dog or raccoon. So perhaps
Use the information given to determine how many
villagers would be resistant to rabies if the village
population were 1400. (RST .6-8.7) Show how you
derived your answer and explain in a complete
sentence.
rabid bats transmit less of the virus. How close a bite is to the head may also affect a person’s
reaction to the virus.
X/1400 = 1/7 = 200 people
If there were 1400 villagers then 200 would be able to
resist the rabies virus.
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7 Studies like this one show that researchers still don’t understand everything about this common
disease.
8 “Rabies used to be a disease we said was 100 percent fatal. It was the most deadly disease of all
diseases,” Carol Glaser, an infectious disease doctor with the California Department of Public Health,
told Science News. But no disease is known to kill every person it infects. In fact, last year, a few
people in the United States survived a bout with rabies.
Closely read paragraph 5.
Compare the availability of the villagers health
services with the health services provided in your
community. (RST.6-8.8)
The villagers have a 2 hour boat ride or they need to
travel 6 hours to a doctor. They don’t have formal
roads. EX. In my community I have a Doc’s In right
down the street. It takes me 10 minutes to get there.
9 Gilbert cautions that just because some people can survive rabies, the infection shouldn’t be taken
lightly. She recommends that children be immunized regularly in places where vampire bats roam.
Power Words
immunize To make a person or animal immune, or resistant, to infection, typically by a vaccine.
rabies A contagious and fatal viral disease of dogs and other mammals that causes madness and
convulsions and is transmissible through saliva to humans.
Closely read paragraph 6.
What is the author’s purpose for including this text?
(RST.6-8.5)
The author is using these comparisons to help the
reader understand that a dog or a raccoon bite is
more common than a bat bite.
virus A tiny molecule made of a protein shell enclosing genetic information. A virus can live and
multiply only in the living cells of a host organism, such as humans.
Closely read paragraphs 7-9.
vampire bat A small bat that feeds on the blood of mammals or birds using its two sharp incisor teeth
What conclusions can you draw about the rabies
disease? (RST.6-8.1)
and anticoagulant saliva. Vampire bats are found mainly in tropical regions of the Americas.
vaccination A treatment given to produce immunity, or resistance, to a disease.
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The rabies disease is serious. If you get bit you should
go immediately to the doctor. Also, if you are a child
and live in tropical regions, you should get
immunized.
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