Comparison of four diagnostic methods for detecting rabies viruses circulating in Korea

It is essential to rapidly and precisely diagnose rabies. In this study, we evaluated four diagnostic methods, indirect fluorescent antibody test (FAT), virus isolation (VI), reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and rapid immunodiagnostic assay (RIDA), to detect rabies in animal brain homogenates. Out of the 110 animal brain samples tested, 20 (18.2%) were positive for rabies according to the FAT. Compared to the FAT, the sensitivities of VI, RT-PCR, and RIDA were 100, 100, and 95%, respectively. The specificities of VI, RT-PCR and RIDA were found to be 100, 100, and 98.9%, respectively. Rabies viruses circulating in Korea were isolated and propagated in murine neuroblastoma (NG108-15) cells with titers ranging from 101.5 to 104.5 TCID50/mL. Although the RIDA findings did not completely coincide with results obtained from FAT, VI, and RT-PCR, RIDA appears to be a fast and reliable assay that can be used to analyze brain samples. In summary, the results from our study showed that VI, RT-PCR, and RIDA can be used as supplementary diagnostic tools for detecting rabies viruses in both laboratory and field settings.

Rapid detection of Salmonella sp. in pork samples using fluorescent in situ hybridization: a comparison with VIDAS®-SLM system and ISO 6579 cultural method / Detecção rápida de Salmonella sp. em amostras de suinos por hibridação in situ fluorescente: comparação com o sistema VIDAS®-SLM e com o método de cultura ISO 6579

This study reports the use of the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with Sal3 probe for Salmonella detection in swine carcasses inner surface (swab); and in the correspondent samples of ileum, ileocolic, and mandibular lymph nodes; and tonsils, after dilution (1:10) in buffered peptone water and a pre-enrichment step (37(0)C, 18h). In order to evaluate the efficiency of FISH, 235 naturally contaminated samples were simultaneously tested by the cultural method (ISO 6579) and by the Vitek Immuno Diagnostic Assay System (VIDAS®) - Salmonella (SLM) system. The cultural method identified 39 positive samples. From these, VIDAS®- SLM only detected 23. FISH identified 115 positive samples. This difference was highly significant (P<0.001). From positive samples, 32 were also confirmed by the cultural method. The results indicate FISH as a promising tool for rapid Salmonella detection in samples of pork and swine carcasses

Descreve-se a utilização da técnica de hibridação in situ fluorescente (FISH), utilizando a sonda Sal3, para detecção de Salmonella na superfície interna de carcaças de suínos (zaragatoa), em amostras correspondentes de íleo, linfonodos ileocólicos, linfonodos mandibulares e amígdalas, após terem sido diluídas (1:10) e submetidas a uma fase de pré-enriquecimento em água peptonada tamponada (a 37ºC, 18h). Para avaliar a eficácia do método FISH, analisaram-se 235 amostras naturalmente contaminadas, usando o método de cultura ISO 6579 e o sistema Vitek Immuno Diagnostic Assay System (VIDAS®)- Salmonella (SLM), simultaneamente. O método de cultura identificou 39 amostras positivas, das quais o método VIDAS®-SLM detectou apenas 23. O método FISH identificou 115 amostras positivas. A diferença entre os métodos foi altamente significativa (P<0.001). Das amostras positivas, 32 foram confirmadas pelo método de cultura. Os resultados indicam que a FISH constitui uma promissora técnica de detecção rápida de Salmonella em amostras de suínos abatidos para consumo