Rabies, Roadkill, Tires

[RPres70324]

Here is my question.

I was driving down the road today, and saw a dead raccoon in the middle of the road. I swerve to avoid it, but in doing so, I noticed I ran over part of its remains, or possibly the remains of a squirrel.

My concern is that, after reaching my destination 10-15 minutes later, I got out of the car holding my laptop case. I am certain that my laptop case hit the side of my car and hit my tires.

If there were animal remains on my tire, specifically brain tissue, and if the animal I ran over was rabid, what are the chances that I have contaminated anything and everything my laptop case has touched? I didn't think about the possibility of rabies until after I got home and placed my laptop bag on my bed. Now I am fearful that I have contaminated everything it has touched, and possibly even myself, with the rabies virus.

When I got home, I started snacking on some chips without washing my hands, and that is when it dawned on me what could have happened.

Please let me know if there is something to be worried about.

[xiulishanshui]

the rabies virus does not persist in the external environment,how long will it takes to shurvive when the virus exposed to air ?

[RPres70324]

Thank you for your response.

Just some follow-up questions:

When you say rapidly inactivated, do you have a specific time-frame?

Could it become re-activated at any point?

So, am I correct in my thinking that you believe there is no need to worry about catching rabies from running over remnants of an animal?

I just ask, because I live in a part of Florida where there exists plenty of roadkill at any given time. I do try and avoid it, but my anxiety fears coupled with OCD have led me to the point of being a germaphobe whenever my car nears a piece of roadkill. I am tired of worrying about this, especially, when none of my passengers ever seem to care.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Transmission of rabies virus occurs through bites of infected carnivores and bats; acquired if licked by an infected animal or if saliva from an infected animal comes into contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, lips, or through wounds in the skin. However, the rabies virus does not persist in the external environment- the virus is rapidly inactivated through exposure to most detergents, chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, strong acids and bases, and direct sunlight. If the dead raccoon has been there for a period of time, it is likely that virus has been inactivated. Take care and do keep us posted.