Report Nr. 2946 Rabies Survey of Bats in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Although rabid bats were probably present in the Western Hemisphere prior to the 16th century, the initial determination of rabies in bats was in 1908 in Brazil. The first record of rabid bats in the United States was from Florida in 1953. In Michigan, rabies in bats was first diagnosed in 1956, and has been found in the state each year except 1958. In the Upper Peninsula, single unidentified rabid bats were reported from Menominee County in 1964, and Alger County in 1956. The bats collected from Pendill's Creek and Fayette were all Keen bats (Myotis keenii keenii); those from Muskallonge lake were all little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus lucifugus). All bats collected at each of these sites were negative for rabies.