Live bat crawls into woman’s mouth as she sleeps
- Posted on August 29, 2026
- By The Independent
- 1 Views
- 1 min read
In brief
A Richmond-based gastroenterologist experienced an alarming incident when a bat entered her mouth during sleep. The unexpected encounter occurred while she was dreaming, with the doctor discovering the live mammal upon waking. Medical professionals promptly addressed potential health risks through preventive rabies treatment. Following capture and testing by animal control authorities, the bat tested negative for rabies, allowing the physician to discontinue precautionary vaccinations and immunoglobulin therapy.
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Live bat crawls into woman’s mouth as she sleeps
A doctor from Virginia says she woke up to find a live bat inside her mouth. Dr Krista Edelman, a gastroenterologist from Richmond, told WWBT that she was sleeping next to her husband when she began dreaming that there was a "little mouse" trying to get into her mouth. "In my dream I was reaching up to my mouth, and when I did, I grabbed something - ultimately I had folded the bat's wings," she recalled. The couple caught the mammal so animal control officers could test it for rabies. Dr Edelman received initial preventive rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin doses, which were stopped once tests confirmed the bat was rabies-negative.
