Southwest Man Dies From Vampire Bat Bite: First In U.S.

Vampires Bats invading the U.S.! We're serious, this is not a "'teaser" for a new movie...We're talking real-life, and honest-to-goodness bloodsucking creatures, stalking in the night.

Vampire bats, the only parasitic mammal, have traditionally haunted central and South America, preying on livestock and large rainforest mammals. But of late one of the three vampire bat species -- the Common Vampire Bat (D. rotondus) has invaded the hot American Southwest. The Common Vampire Bat is the most aggressive kind of vampire bat, sometimes drinking human blood -- something its more docile kin like the White-winged Vampire Bat (D. youngi) are too timid to do.

The first Vampire Bat related death in the United States has been reported -- though the biting incident actually occurred in Mexico. The death was reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A 19-year-old migrant worker was bitten on July 10, 2010 in Mexico, he later traveled to pick sugar cane at a plantation in Louisiana.

Falling deathly ill, he was taken to a local hospital where he was given medical care. Doctors were at a loss to explain his strange symptoms -- including encephalitis. A test of his spinal fluid, though, revealed rabies.

The case is attracting attention both because it is the first vampire-bat related death linked to rabies in the U.S., and because, it drew attention to America's own growing vampire bat population.

Unlike other bat species, the vampire bats can run along the ground. They typically approach their victims stealthily on foot, often jumping on victims. They then use their crafty nose to "smell" where blood is near the surface, and sink their enamel-less razor-sharp teeth into the appropriate location, creating a open-flapped wound. They then lap up the victim's blood using an anti-coagulant in their saliva to prevent clotting.
With the spread of the more rabies-infected vampire bat population to America, significant concerns have been raised by the Center for Disease Control.

(From Daily Tech)