Abstract
Rabies, a zoonotic encephalitis due to transmission of a lyssavirus, such as rabies virus (RABV), has the highest case fatality of any infectious disease. A global program for the elimination of human rabies caused by dogs is proposed for realization by 2030. Sensitive, specific, and inexpensive diagnostic tests are necessary for enhanced surveillance to detect infection, inform public health and veterinary professionals during risk assessments of exposure, and support overall programmatic goals. Multiple laboratory techniques are used to confirm a suspect case of rabies. One method for the detection of lyssavirus antigens within the brain is the direct rapid immunohistochemical test (dRIT), using light microscopy, and suitable for use under field conditions. Besides dogs, other major RABV reservoirs reside among mammalian mesocarnivores and bats. To date, use of the dRIT has been applied primarily for the diagnosis of RABV in suspect mesocarnivores. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of the dRIT to the diagnosis of rabies in bats, compared to the gold-standard, the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT). Brains of 264 suspect bats, consisting of 21 species from Arizona and Texas, were used in the evaluation of the dRIT. The overall sensitivity of the dRIT was 100% (0.969–1.0, 95% CI) and the specificity was 94.6% (0.896–0.976, 95% CI), comparable to the DFAT. This preliminary study demonstrated the utility of the dRIT in the confirmation of RABV infection in bats. Future studies should include additional geographic, lyssavirus, and mammalian species representations for broader application during enhanced rabies surveillance, with incorporation of any potential adjustments to standard protocols, as needed.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilRabies is an acute, progressive encephalitis caused by infection with highly neurotropicRNA viruses in the genus Lyssavirus, Family Rhabdoviridae [1]
Fifty brains from 9 species were received from Texas, consisting of 20 rabid and 30 nonrabid bats (Table 1)
A single false-positive result was obtained from an evening bat, N. humeralis
Summary
Progressive encephalitis caused by infection with highly neurotropic. RNA viruses in the genus Lyssavirus, Family Rhabdoviridae [1]. This zoonosis is global in distribution and causes millions of exposures and tens of thousands of human fatalities annually [2]. Most deaths are due to bites from dogs infected with rabies virus (RABV). All mammals are believed susceptible to RABV infection [4]. Significant reservoirs of RABV include mesocarnivores, such as canines (e.g., Canis spp; Lupulella spp.), ferret-badgers (e.g., Melogale spp.), foxes (e.g., Urocyon cinereoargenteus; Vulpes spp.), mongooses (e.g., Cynictis penicillate; Urva auropunctata), procyonids (e.g., Procyon lotor), and skunks (e.g., Mephitis mephitis), as well as multiple bat spp. Within the Americas, RABV is the only lyssavirus characterized to date
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