Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test strip for detection of Rabies virus in dog saliva samples

An immunochromatographic test strip for Rabies virus was evaluated with dog saliva samples. The test was initially validated against 237 dogs of known infection status, and then evaluated in the field with 1,290 live dogs. By validation of paired saliva-brain specimens obtained from dogs at necropsy, the saliva strip test was 94.4% specific and 93.0% sensitive when compared to the gold standard fluorescent antibody test (FAT) on brain smears. The sensitivity and specificity of a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) assay using saliva were 100% compared to the FAT results. The performance of strip test with field saliva samples from street dogs had a specificity of 98.7% in comparison to nPCR as the reference method. As the strip test kit can potentially be used outside the laboratory and be applicable as an on-site testing assay, it represents a powerful screening tool for epidemiological surveys and disease control. The test could be useful for the surveillance of rabies in dogs and, in particular, be used to monitor the success of rabies control programs.