[The primary application of direct rapid immunohistochemical test to rabies diagnosis in China].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the direct rapid immumohistochemical test (DRIT) for laboratory surveillance of rabies.

METHODS: 72 brain specimens of domestic dogs or patients collected from Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Yunnan provinces were detected by conventional methods including Direct Fluorescent-antibody Assay (DFA) and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and by DRIT which was newly developed in the Rabies Section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. The sensitivity and specificity of DRIT were evaluated by compare of the three results. By analysis of the index including cost of experiment, technique requirement and so on, the advancement and applicability of DRIT were discussed.

RESULTS: Compared with DFA and RT-PCR, DRIT will be more applicable for laboratories with limited funds and weak techniques because of its lower cost needed and simpler techniques required while its sensitivity and specificity are equal to the other two methods.

CONCLUSION: DRIT is more valuable in rabies diagnosis and more applicable for extension and popularization in rabies laboratory surveillance in local CDC.