Rabies can enter a victim’s body in a variety of ways. The most obvious is when the infected animal’s saliva is introduced through a bite or scratch. Also, if the saliva simply comes into contact with the mucus membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth, infection can also occur.

Possibly the most obscure (and extremely rare) way of contracting rabies is through no contact with infected animals at all. Spelunkers, commonly known as cave explorers, are most susceptible to this form of transmission as breathing in heavy concentrations of the aerosols produced by bat excreta can transmit the virus.