Vertical Landscape Dislocation of an Encephalomyelitic Formosan Ferret-Badger (Melogale subaurantiaca) Infected with Rabies Virus across Elevation Gradients in Taiwan: A Forensic Case Report
1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University; 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung 402202, Taiwan.
2 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan; 9F., No. 100, Sec. 2, Heping W. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 100060, Taiwan.
3 School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106319, Taiwan.
4 The Japan Society of Clinical Study for Rabies; Kourin Kaikan 3-6-23 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011, Japan.
* Corresponding Author
ORCID Details
Cheng-Hung Lai: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3767-7296
Chang-Young Fei: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9462-9317
Short Communication
Open Access Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2026, 12(02), 028–031.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjms.2026.12.2.0043
Publication history:
Received on 21 September 2026; revised on 29 October 2026; accepted on 31 October 2026
Abstract:
The geographic expansion of sylvatic rabies virus (RABV) epidemics mediated by the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale subaurantiaca) is ecologically constrained by the species' population characteristics to a slow natural velocity of only a few kilometers per annum. However, human-mediated vehicular transport introduces non-contiguous, vertical jump-diffusion patterns that completely bypass macro-environmental altitude barriers. This case report delineates a unique anthropogenic long-distance translocation (LDT) event documented within the national rabies surveillance matrix in Taiwan. On December 29, 2015, a symptomatic wild ferret-badger exhibiting aggressive behaviors and classic terminal manic rabies neuro-symptoms was captured inside a commercial transport truck at a processing factory in the lowland plain of Baihe District, Tainan City. Forensic epidemiological traceback investigation revealed that the infected vector had infiltrated the cargo platform at a primary agricultural harvesting node within a bamboo forest (National Land-Use Level-III Code 020300) in the high-altitude mountainous region of Guanling, Baihe District, Tainan City. It remained undetected during high-velocity descent across paved road corridors (Code 0305, specifically County Road 172), successfully crossing an abrupt elevation drop exceeding 400 meters. The vector subsequently bit a factory worker during logistical offloading and was molecularly verified as RABV-positive via direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing on January 4, 2016. This ground-truth field case empirically validates the role of paved automotive transportation infrastructures as dominant spatial risk covariates, providing critical biosecurity insights for sub-village grid-level veterinary quarantine enforcement.
Keywords:
Formosan ferret-badger; Long distance translocation; Melogale subaurantiaca; Rabies; Taiwan
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