ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Evaluation of a rapid immunodiagnostic test kit for detection of African lyssaviruses from brain material

 

 

W. Markotter^I; D. York^II; C.T. Sabeta^III; W. Shumba^III; G. Zulu^III; K. Le Roux^IV; L.H. Nel^I

^IDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002 South Africa
^IIMolecular Diagnostic Services, Private Bag X20, Westville, Durban, Kwazulu Natal, 3630 South Africa
^IIIOIE Rabies Reference Laboratory, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort, 0110 South Africa
^IVAllerton Veterinary Laboratory, Private Bag X2, Cascades, Pietermaritzburg, 3202 South Africa

 

 

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ABSTRACT

A rapid immunodiagnostic test kit was evaluated against a selection of isolates of lyssavirus genotypes occurring in Africa. The test was carried out in parallel comparison with the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and isolates representing previously established phylogenetic groups from each genotype were included. The specificity of the rapid immunodiagnostic test compared favourably with the FAT and was found to detect all representatives of genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 in brain samples of either field cases or suckling mouse brain inoculates.

Keywords: Africa, diagnostics, lyssavirus, rabies, rapid test

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Accepted for publication 1 July 2009-Editor

 

 

* Author to whom correspondence is to be directed. E-mail: wanda.markotter@up.ac.za