Comparative prevalence of rabies antibodies among household and unclaimed/stray dogs as determined by the immune adherence haemagglutination assay

The immune adherence haemagglutination assay (lAHA), widely used for human viral disease diagnosis, has been adapted for detection of rabies virus antibodies in dog sera. Rabies virus antibody titres obtained by the lAHA correlated well with those obtained by the currently accepted test for rabies antibody determination, the rapid-fluorescent-focus-inhibition test (RFFIT). Although it is not known if the antibodies detected in lAHA test represent neutralizing antibodies against rabies, lAHA has several advantages over the RFFIT: the lAHA is rapid, requiring about seven hours for results to be available; it is relatively inexpensive and easy to perform; uses reagents commonly available in any routine virology laboratory; and uses inactivated rabies virus, thus eliminating hazards associated with the use of live virus in RFFIT. Using this test we found that rabies antibody titres were significantly higher, and at the same time more prevalent, among household dogs than among the unclaimed/stray dogs. The results re-emphasize the increased hazard associated with unclaimed/stray dogs and the need for vaccination of all dogs.