Test & Diagnosis for Rabies

Rabies is a mammalian virus that affects the nerves. It's transferred to humans through the bite of a rabid animal, which is usually a skunk, raccoon, bats or foxes. Rabies is a serious disease that can lead to death if not treated early.

Significance

Testing and diagnosis of rabies significantly increases the patient's chance of survival. Late testing and diagnosis can lead to irreversible damage and eventually death.

Symptoms

Part of testing and diagnosis is recognizing symptoms. Typical early symptoms are hard to diagnose, since they resemble flu-like conditions. Symptoms include fever, headache and malaise.

Types

The types of tests taken for diagnosing a rabies infection includes saliva swabs, spinal fluid aspiration and serum samples. These samples are sent to labs where RT-PCR is implemented to verify the existence of the virus.

Features

Rabies infects brain tissue, and the existence of negri bodies are shown in sample tissue. Negri bodies are oval-shaped inclusions in brain tissue viewed under the microscope. This procedure is beneficial for public health safety to determine if an animal is infected with the rabies virus.

Considerations

Late stage diagnosis and testing can be coupled with signs of more severe behaviors. The patient shows signs of hydrophobia, anxiety, insomnia and muscle weakness, including difficulty swallowing.

References

• Centers for Disease Control: Rabies Diagnosis and Testing

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