Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemistry for the detection of rabies virus in domestic and wild animals in South Africa.

ABSTRACT: We estimated the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of an immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocol compared to the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT), which is the gold standard test for rabies diagnosis. We obtained brain samples from 199 domestic and wild animal cases (100 DFAT-negative, 99 DFAT-positive), by convenience sampling from 2 government-accredited rabies virus (RABV) testing laboratories in South Africa, between February 2015 and August 2017. Tissues that had been stored at 4-8°C for several days to weeks at the 2 accredited laboratories were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded. Nighty-eight cases tested IHC-positive using a polyclonal anti-RABV nucleoprotein antibody and a polymer detection system. The overall DSe and DSp for the RABV IHC test were 98% (95% C

SUBMITTER: Claassen DD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10185990 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature