RT Journal T1 IMMUNOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF CANINE RABIES IN FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN A1 W. Ahmad A1 F. Mahmood A1 Y. Li A1 M. Duan A1 Z. Guan A1 M. Zhang A1 M. A. Ali A1 Z. Liu JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JO JAPS SN 1018-7081 VO 26 IS 3 SP 636 OP 642 YR 2016 FD 2016/06/01 DO DOI NA AB

Rabies is a fatal disease particularly in developing countries like Pakistan, where annual death toll ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 due to insufficient prophylactic measures. The present study was conducted to screen out randomly selected stray dogs (n= 80) for rabies virus at eight sites in the district of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Brain samples were surgically removed and fixed in neutral buffer formalin. Paraffin-embedded brain tissues were processed for the diagnosis of the rabies virus using immuno histochemistry and histopathology. Post dog-bite vaccine data from the year 2006 to 2010 were obtained from two public hospitals in district Faisalabad. The highest number of rabies cases was found in 2010 (n=1,980) while, the lowest number of anti-rabies shots (n=312) was injected in 2009. Most importantly, only 3.75% of brain samples were diagnosed positive for rabies virus. Considerable immuno-reactivity and characteristic pathological lesions (neuronal degeneration, babe’s nodules and Negri bodies) were observed in granular and Purkinje cells of the cerebrum and cerebellum respectively. Proper monitoring and regulatory framework are essentially required to fully eradicate rabies cases from rural and urban areas of Pakistan.

K1 Brain, rabies virus, dog bite, immune histochemistry, histopathology, stray dog PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2016-JAPS-87