Diagnostics procedures in rabies

Abstract

Rabies is a major zoonosis for which diagnostic techniques can only be performed in the laboratory. Laboratory techniques are preferably oriented on tissue removed from the cranium: hippocampus (Ammon's horn), cerebellum and the medulla oblongata or tissue liquids. Clinical observation may only lead to a suspicion of rabies. The only way to perform a reliable diagnosis of the disease is to identify the virus or some of its specific components using laboratory tests such as histological identification of characteristic cell lesions, immunochemical identification of rabies virus antigen and virus isolation. Serological tests are rarely used in epidemiological surveys but much more frequently in control of the vaccination programs (e.g. oral vaccination). Most commonly used serological tests are the virus neutralization test on cell culture (FAVN), virus neutralization in mice and ELISA.

Keywords

• rabies
• diagnostics procedures