Immunopathological studies for detection of rabies in skin

In the present study, the efficacy of different immunopathological techniques for anti and post -mortem diagnosis of rabies in skin from 11 animals (3 buffaloes, 4 cattle and 4 dogs) suspected for rabies was compared. One step polymer HRPO Immunohistochemical detection system yielded 28.57 % sensitivity in skin biopsies comparison to FAT on brain impression smears. Immunohistochemistry on skin samples of post-mortem cases was positive in 5/31 cases (16.13%). Necropsied skin impression showed a sensitivity of 35.71% in comparison to FAT on brain impression. The study concluded that skin biopsies may serve as a useful material for ante-mortem diagnosis of rabies using immunohistochemistry