A new competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrates adequate immune levels to rabies virus in compulsorily vaccinated Japanese domestic dogs.
A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) was developed as an alternative to the viral neutralization (VN) test for rapid and simple detection of antibodies to rabies virus. The competitor antibody in the c-ELISA was a biotinylated monoclonal antibody to the nucleoprotein of rabies virus. Initial comparisons showed a high correlation between titers obtained with the VN test and the c-ELISA (n = 88, r = 0.90), indicating that the c-ELISA could be used as a reliable substitute for the VN test. To evaluate the immune status of Japanese dogs to rabies virus, a total of 1,019 serum samples were collected from domestic dogs in 1994 and tested for antibodies with the c-ELISA. Overall, 84.8% of the dogs had antibodies against rabies virus, indicating that the vaccination strategy for preventing rabies outbreaks in domestic dogs is probably sufficient in Japan. Dogs receiving final vaccinations a year or more previously were 48.3 and 90.3% positive for antibodies when vaccinated once only or two or more times, respectively. This suggests that almost all dogs vaccinated twice or more remain seropositive for over 1 year in Japan.
Sugiyama
M
M
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Agriculture, Gifu University, Japan.
Yoshiki
R
R
Tatsuno
Y
Y
Hiraga
S
S
Itoh
O
O
Gamoh
K
K
Minamoto
N
N
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001710:Biotin; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011818:Rabies / Q000662:veterinary*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D001710:Biotin