Quelle est la place du laboratoire dans la prévention de la rage?

Prevention of rabies is mainly based on health education and vaccination. Vaccination is either a pre- or a post-exposure prophylaxis. The laboratory contributes to assess the immunoprotection by determining the antibody titre. A person is considered to be protected if this titre is ≥0,5 Ul/ml. Since the reference methods are heavy and fastidious, the ELISA technique is routinely used. In rare cases, despite a correctly applied vaccine schedule, rabies antibodies production is not detectable. To assess the immunoprotection after a preventive vaccination, a delay of 15 days between vaccination and serology is necessary.