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Virology / Serology - Rabies Virus

Specimen Testing

Routine testing is available Monday through Friday (7:30am to 4:00pm). Weekend/holiday testing will be handled via a "beeper on call system" and restricted to emergency situations only.  The circumstances constituting an emergency situation for human exposure to suspected rabies must satisfy one of the following criteria:

  1. Unprovoked bite from a wild animal, such as a raccoon, fox, skunk, bobcat, etc.
  2. Unprovoked bite from an unvaccinated dog or cat.
  3. Bite (provoked or not) resulting in skin breakage on either the head or neck.
  4. Bites from bats.
  5. Bat(s) found in a domicile where people were asleep.

The laboratory on-call person can be reached at (919) 733-7544 during regular hours of operation or by telephoning the beeper number at (919) 310-5620 between 4:30pm Friday and noon on Saturday.  Specimens, received after noon on Saturday without prior approval, will be tested on the following routine work day, i.e. usually Monday.

Human Rabies Testing

All suspected cases of rabies in humans are handled on a case-by-case basis.  Contact the laboratory at (919) 733-7544 for special instructions on specimen collection criteria and shipping directions.

Hospital infection control consultation should be obtained Monday-Friday, 8:00 am 5:00 pm, from the rabies public health veterinarians at (919) 707-5900.  Consultation services are available after work hours and during weekends or holidays by leaving a message in the voice mail box at (919) 733-3419 which will automatically activate a beeper for the on call individual.

Interpretation of Results

Test results for any animal positive for rabies or any unsatisfactory test result will be telephoned automatically by laboratory staff to the appropriate parties at the numbers provided.  A positive test or unsatisfactory report will be sent to the submitter and county health department director in the county where the animal specimen was obtained.  Negative results will be reported via US Mail or the State Courier System.  It should be noted that although the fluorescent antibody test is very reliable, a negative test does not completely exclude the possibility of the animal being rabid.

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

Consultation prior to post-exposure prophylaxis should be obtained Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm, from one of the following individuals:

Consultation services are available after work hours and during weekends or holidays by leaving a message in the voice mail box at (919) 733-3419 which will automatically activate a beeper for the on call individual.

When the decision has been made to administer post-exposure prophylaxis, the Rabies Immune Globulin and the Rabies Vaccine may be purchased from the State Laboratory by calling the Laboratory Mailroom (919) 733-7656.  After purchase, these products cannot be returned to the Laboratory for refund or credit.  During non-working hours, one of the above named individuals can arrange with the Laboratory for shipment of these products.

Specimen Acceptance Policy

Testing resources are reserved for situations where the testing outcome will influence patient management decisions.  Terrestrial animal submissions are limited to significant rabies vector species that expose humans, livestock, or unvaccinated pets.  Exposure is defined as a bite that breaks the skin or contact of mucus membranes or broken skin with either animal saliva or nervous tissue.  Significant rabies vector terrestrial species include raccoons, skunks, foxes, most other carnivores, and woodchucks.  Domestic animals exhibiting signs of rabies and wild animals that have potentially exposed a person, unvaccinated pet, or livestock to rabies should be submitted for testing without delay.

Dogs, cats and ferrets that do not exhibit signs of rabies and which bite people, pets or livestock should not be euthanized and instead should be confined and observed for 10 days, unless circumstances demand otherwise.  Observation is of value because the length of time that virus may be excreted in saliva prior to the onset of signs can be predicted.  It is known that dogs and cats may excrete rabies virus up to five days prior to the onset of signs.  The ten-day observation period for dogs and cats is thus twice the predicted time, allowing a 100% margin of safety.  If a dog or cat shows no clinical signs of rabies after ten days of observations, one can be assured that the animal was not shedding virus at the time of the exposure.  Dogs, cats and ferrets that survive the 10-day quarantine period should not be submitted to the rabies laboratory for testing.  Conversely, if the dog, cat or ferret does not survive the 10-day quarantine period, the specimen should be submitted to the rabies laboratory for testing.

Wild animals (unlike dogs, cats, and ferrets) do not have a predictable time for shedding of rabies virus prior to presentation of symptoms.  Therefore animals in this group should not be held for observation following an exposure.  These animals should be caught, euthanized immediately and the head submitted for rabies virus detection.

Bats that have interaction with humans should be submitted for testing only if the contact involves:

  1. a bite
  2. handling where a bite cannot be ruled out
  3. are found in a domicile with access to humans while they were asleep, unconscious, or incapacitated

If one or more bats escape capture, do not submit the remaining bats since recommendations regarding post-exposure prophlyaxis will not be altered by testing only some of the bats.

Surveillance animals will be tested only with prior approval  Low risk animals (i.e., rabbits, squirrels, and small rodents) rarely require testing and should not be submitted without prior approval from either our laboratory or the State Public Health Veterinarian at (919) 707-5900.

Specimen Collection

Animals should be euthanized in a manner that will not destroy the brain tissue which is examined in the diagnosis of rabies. Thus, only the animal’s head should be submitted for diagnostic purposes. Small animals no larger than a squirrel may be submitted whole. For bats, the whole dead animal must be submitted and should be secured in a clear container such as a zip-lock bag or equivalent. The animal’s neck should then be severed at the midpoint between the base of the skull and the shoulders. Treat any specimens with fleas, ticks, maggots, ants, etc. prior to packing. Place each animal specimen for rabies diagnosis in a separate leak-proof container (i.e., can, double plastic bag, etc.) and securely seal. Place this container in a sturdy shipping carton (use sturdy styrofoam if possible) and enclose refrigerants to keep the specimen cold. If white buckets are used, additional refrigerants will be needed due to lack of insulation. Specimens should be kept cold but NOT FROZEN. DO NOT USE LOOSE WET ICE OR DRY ICE. Specimens inadvertently frozen are still suitable for testing; however, testing may be delayed due to thawing. Submit specimens to the rabies laboratory at the N. C. State Laboratory of Public Health as soon as possible. If shipment will be delayed, refrigerate specimens prior to shipment.

Large animal heads such as cows, horses, deer, large dogs, etc. should be submitted to our rabies laboratory via the Dept. of Agriculture’s Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory in Raleigh (919) 733-3986 or one of their satellite laboratories throughout the state:

These laboratories will remove the brain tissue and forward the tissue to the SLPH rabies laboratory for testing. Contact the agriculture labs directly for specimen submission information. The anatomical tissues that the SLPH requires for a satisfactory rabies test include either hippocampus or cerebellum and a complete cross section of the brain stem. Specimens fixed in formalin cannot be tested and will be reported as unsatisfactory.

Specimen Shipping

Shipment via State Courier Service is usually the most rapid mode of transit. Personal conveyance may be used when courier service is unsuitable.  Address all shipping containers using the special label (white with red lettering) available from the SLPH mailing room.  This label instructs the transporting service to call the SLPH upon arrival and will assure proper handling of the specimen.  If you do not have a specific mailing label, the following information should be clearly visible on the exterior of the mailing container containing the animal head:

TO:  State Laboratory of Public Health
306 N. Wilmington St.
Raleigh, NC  27601

"This package contains an animal head suspected of having rabies."

To transporting company:
"Call on arrival (919) 733-7656 Weekdays (8:00 am - 5:00 pm) or (919) 733-4646 Nights, Weekends, or Holidays"

Specimens may be brought to the lobby of the Bath Building, 306 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, during working hours (8:00 am to 5:00 pm), Monday through Friday.  At all other times, specimens should be placed in the specimen drop chute at the back of the building.

Forms and Labels

DHHS form #1614 and appropriate labeling materials are available from the SLPH Mailroom at PO Box 28047, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-8047 or telephone number (919) 733-7656.

Rabies Virus Serology

Rabies virus antibody testing is available through commercial laboratories.  Testing of specimens should be arranged directly with those laboratories.  The following laboratory is known to offer the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test for rabies virus antibody:

Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test
Department of Veterinary Diagnosis
Veterinary Medical Center
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
(785) 532-4483

Relevant Links:

See also:

Last Modified: March 26, 2009 4:47 PM