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Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy ISSN: 2332-0877 | Volume: 6
Infectious Diseases
4
th
Annual Congress on
Neglected Tropical & Infectious Diseases
5
th
International Conference on
August 29-30, 2018 | Boston, USA
&
Detection of lyssavirus antigen and assessment of the levels of anti-rabies antibodies in unvaccinated,
apparently healthy and rabies-suspect dogs
B M Anene
1
, U U Eze
1
, E C Ngoepe
2
, R C Ezeokonkwo
3
, C N wosuh
1
, C T Sabeta
2,4
1
University of Nigeria, Nigeria
2
Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute , South Africa
3
University of Nigeria, Nigeria
4
University of Pretoria, South Africa
R
abies is an acute and progressive encephalitis caused by members of the genus
Lyssavirus
(Family Rhabdoviridae, order
Mononegavirales). An estimated 59 000 human deaths occur annually in Africa and Asia, with the majority of these deaths due
to dog bites. In this study, we undertook a cross-sectional survey for the presence of lyssavirus antigen in brain tissues and anti-rabies
antibodies in sera of unvaccinated, apparently healthy and rabies-suspect dogs slaughtered for consumption at local markets in South
Eastern Nigeria. Samples (both brain tissues and serum) from 278 dogs were tested for lyssavirus antigen and rabies antibodies, using
the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA) and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Twenty three
brain tissues (8.3%) were shown to contain lyssavirus antigen, whereas 2.5% (n=25) of the serum samples had anti-rabies antibodies.
There was an inverse relationship between the presence of lyssavirus antigens and levels of rabies antibodies. The inverse relationship
between the presence of lyssavirus antigens and levels of rabies antibodies underscores the notion of immune evasion following
lyssavirus infection. The low percentage of anti-rabies antibodies in the dog population studied suggests a dog population susceptible
and at very high risk to rabies virus (RABV) infection. These findings indicate a big challenge to local and global rabies elimination
efforts considering that most of the dog population in Africa is confined to the rural areas where parenteral dog vaccination is not
routinely or adequately undertaken.
Boniface.anene@unn.edu.ngJ Infect Dis Ther 2018, Volume 6
DOI: 10.4172/2332-0877-C3-045