Final answer:
The disease rabies is most likely transmitted to people by the bite of a bat, as bats are known carriers of the rabies virus and constitute a significant proportion of animal rabies cases in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Rabies is a fatal disease that is most commonly transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mammal. The correct answer to the question about which animal is most likely to transmit rabies to people is d) Bat. This is because bats are known to be significant carriers of the rabies virus in the United States and can be responsible for the transmission of the disease to humans.
Rabies is caused by the rabies virus, a member of the family Rhabdoviridae. The virus can be transmitted to humans if they are bitten by an infected animal. In the US, the most common reservoirs for rabies include wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and notably, bats, which accounted for 29.1% of all animal rabies cases in 2014. The virus enters the nervous system after the bite, leading to severe neurological symptoms and is nearly always fatal when left untreated. However, human cases are scarce in the United States due to rigorous control measures and routine vaccination of domestic animals.