THE USE OF FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY STAINING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF RABIES.

Brain material from 750 domestic and wild animals submitted to this laboratory for rabies diagnosis was studied by the following three methods: a) microscopic examination of Williams' stained impressions, b) mouse inoculation test, and c) microscopic examination of impressions stained with fluorescein-tagged antibodies. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the sensitivity of the fluorescent antibody technique with that of two classical methods, when applied to the routine diagnosis of rabies. From the results obtained by one or the other method of study, 175 specimens were diagnosed as positive. Of these, only 58 (33 per cent) were detected by the examination of Williams' stained impressions. On the other hand, two rabid cases were missed by the mouse inoculation test, and four by the fluorescent antibody technique. Without being completely reliable, the last two methods proved to be almost equally sensitive and much more so than the examination of Williams' stained impressions.