ABSTRACT
Human rabies control could not be achieved without rabies control in dogs and the dog rabies surveillance is one of the most important measures for this goal. Some neurological symptoms of canine distemper are similar to rabies and usually they are sent for examination to rabies laboratories. A total of 1,866 canine central nervous system fragment received by the Rabies Laboratory of UNESP/Araçatuba, SP, from 1998 to 2001, were evaluated for rabies diagnosis, and 248 negative samples were submitted to differential diagnosis for canine distemper by the fluorescent antibody test. Positive results were observed in 18.9% (47/248) of the samples and virus antigen was detected by fluorescent antibodies uniformly in all the central nervous system areas examined (cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus), therefore, the evaluation of any fragment will be useful for the diagnosis of canine distemper.
KEY WORDS:
Dog rabies; canine distemper disease; diagnosis; fluorescent antibody test.
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