Rabies diagnosis during life, in experimentally infected dogs. Use o f the Cornea test and virus detection by intracerebral inoculation o f saliva in mice

Abstract

The direct fluorescent antibody test for rabies on corneal impression smears (cornea test) and virus assay in saliva by intracerebral mice inoculation were carried out on eight dogs, which developed typical rabies after experimental infection with street virus. Fifty-two samples of saliva and cornea cells were examined and the proportion of positive results to the cornea test was 17/18 (94%) during the incubation period and 33/34 (97%) at the clinical phase of the disease, while, virus detection in saliva, was 10/18 (56%) and 3/34 (9%), respectively to the same disease phases. None of the rabies-infected dogs, with a negative cornea test, with or without symptoms, revealed virus in their correspondent saliva sample. A negative cornea test result do not necessarily indicate freedom from infectio.