ABSTRACT
The direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) rabies diagnostic test requires demarcating desirable areas of brain tissue slip smear slides to be stained, traditionally achieved by applying paint from a tech pen or using a wax pencil to form a circle or dam-like ring or well into which rabies conjugate is expelled. Unfortunately, using these instruments poses a possibility of cross-contamination by transfer via the pen or pencil tip of rabies antigen from one slide to another. A new method was developed to avoid cross-contamination. The open end of a disposable glass test tube, dipped into a shallow reservoir of nail polish, was used to apply a dam-like ring about the slip smear area to be stained, after which the test tube was discarded, thereby precluding tissue transfer.
