title: Detection and strain differentiation of European bat lyssaviruses using in situ hybridisation.
abstract: A protocol suitable for the detection of rabies virus and the related European bat lyssaviruses type 1 and 2 is described. In situ hybridisation, employing digoxigenin labelled riboprobes was used for the detection of lyssavirus RNA in mouse-infected brain tissue. The principal advantage of this technique, compared to routine methods used for histopathology, is that this method is robust, highly sensitive, and specific for assessing the presence of RNA in different tissues. An additional advantage is that there is no longer any requirement for high laboratory bio-containment, once the tissue under investigation has been safely fixed. Using this method, both genomic and messenger RNA were detected. The ability to detect messenger RNA is indicative of the presence of replicating virus and therefore, this technique is a powerful diagnostic tool for the routine detection of strains of rabies virus including the European bat lyssaviruses.
authors.affiliation: Rabies Research and Diagnostic Group (WHO Collaborating Centre for the Characterisation of Rabies and Rabies-Related Viruses), Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Finnegan
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brookes
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fooks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D004076:Digoxigenin; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005060:Europe; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods*; D018114:Lyssavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051379:Mice; D015347:RNA Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015347:RNA Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral; D004076:Digoxigenin