Comparative evaluation of rabies diagnostic sensitivity among seven laboratory techniques

Diagnostic techniques (7) were used to detect rabies virus antigen/antibody along the progress of an experimental study wherein 3 groups of buffalo calves were inoculated with varied doses of street rabies virus by intramuscular route, oral route and via linear laceration. Detection of neutralizing antibodies by using modified counter immuno-electrophoresis was the most sensitive techniques followed by direct immunofluorescence. Seller's staining of Negri body, pleocytosis in cerebrospinal fluid, detection of rabies virus in nasal, salivary and rectal secretions and mice inoculation test. The least sensitive of all the diagnostic techniques was the histopathological detection of Negri body.