Immunohistochemical detection of virus antigen in the nasal planum of rabid dogs.
J Vet Med Sci
; 83(10): 1563-1569, 2021 Oct 05.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34470975
The rabies virus is one of the most neurotropic of all viruses infecting mammals. During the terminal phases of infection, the virus spreads to peripheral tissues, including the skin. The external skin of the nose, called the nasal planum, is a sensory organ where numerous nerve bundles and terminal nerves are distributed. Therefore, the nasal planum is expected to serve as a postmortem diagnostic material. However, the distribution of rabies virus antigens in the nasal planum in rabid animals has not yet been studied. In this study, the nasal planum was obtained from 45 rabid dogs. In all rabid dogs, the viral antigen was detected in the peripheral nerve tissues, Merkel cells, and squamous cells. The viral antigen in the epidermis exhibited three patterns: first, a diffuse positive pattern from the basal layer to the squamous layer; second, a reticular positive pattern along the cell membrane in the squamous layer; and third, a basal layer pattern of the epidermis. In the dermis, viral antigens were detected more often in lamellated corpuscles just beneath the rete pegs. These results suggest that the nasal planum could serve as a useful alternative source for postmortem diagnosis in rabies endemic countries.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Antigens, Viral
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
J Vet Med Sci
Journal subject:
MEDICINA VETERINARIA
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Japan
Country of publication:
Japan