Comparative evaluation of direct fluorescent antibody test, Seller's staining test and rapid immunodiagnostic assay for post-mortem diagnosis of rabies in cattle

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal disease of the nervous system caused by a RNA virus, which belongs to the genus lyssavirus of the family Rhabdoviridae. It is a serious veterinary and public health problem in India and many other countries around the world. Therefore, early and precise diagnosis will reduce unnecessary prophylaxis and treatment. The present study was designed to assess the efficacy of direct Fluorescent Antibody Test (dFAT), Seller's staining test (SST) and Rapid immunodiagnostic assay (RIDA) for diagnosis of rabies antigen in sclinically suspected brain samples. During the period from 2015 to 2017, a total of 29 brain samples were collected from clinically suspected cows for confirmation of rabies. The brain tissues collected after opening of the skull were examined by dFAT, SST and RIDA tests for rabies diagnosis. Twenty cases (20/29) were confirmed positive by gold standard dFAT. The results showed that 75.0% (15/20) and 70.0% (14/20) of brain tissues were positive for rabies by Seller's staining and RIDA, respectively. Significant difference was found when comparing between any two diagnostic tests. Sensitivity of other diagnostic technique was compared with dFAT. The results of the present study indicated the significance of dFAT in rabies diagnosis in fresh brain samples.