Laboratory diagnosis of rabies in Canada for calendar year 2006

摘要

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), with laboratories in Ottawa, Ontario (Centre of Expertise for Rabies) and Lethbridge, Alberta, conducts rabies testing in Canada on all suspect rabid animals where there was human or domestic animal contact and for all human suspect cases (diagnostic submissions). In addition, individual provinces may contract with the CFIA to provide diagnostic support for intensified surveillance programs (survey samples). The majority of all submissions are tested by the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) (1), the method recommended by the World Health Organization for the routine diagnosis of rabies (2). In addition, diagnostic submissions where there was documented human contact and a negative FAT are subject to a second, confirmatory test, the rabies tissue culture inoculation test (RTCIT). Although not preferred as a method for routine rabies diagnosis, formalin-fixed samples can be tested by using an avidin-biotin complex (ABC) immunohistochemistry test (3).