A rabies serum test is performed on a patient's blood serum sample to determine if the patient has produced antibodies against the rabies virus, indicating an active or recent infection.

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Because no single antemortem test is completely reliable on its own, diagnosing rabies in a live patient requires conducting multiple diagnostic tests. Clinicians must collect and analyze several types of patient specimens, including samples of blood, saliva, and skin.

Diagnosing Rabies in Live Patients

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Microbiology covers the scope and sequence requirements for a single-semester microbiology course for non-majors. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of the text make the material interesting and accessible while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. Microbiology’s art program enhances students’ understanding of concepts through clear and effective illustrations, diagrams, and photographs.

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A diagnostic skin biopsy for rabies involves extracting a 6-mm sample of skin from the nape of the neck near the hairline. The sample must contain at least 10 hair follicles, including the superficial cutaneous nerve, so that immunofluorescent staining can be applied to the specimen to detect the presence of rabies antibodies in the cutaneous nerves at the base of the hair follicles.

Rabies Skin Biopsy Test

Rabies Serum Test

A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis performed on saliva samples can detect the presence of viral nucleic acid (RNA) to help diagnose rabies in live patients.

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