Hydrophobia - Diagnosing rabies
- See what the doctor sees with Map of Medicine
- Introduction
- Symptoms of rabies
- Causes of rabies
- Diagnosing rabies
- Treating rabies
- Rabies vaccination
- Brierlie's story
If rabies is suspected, treatment should begin before a diagnosis is confirmed.
This is because any delay in treatment could allow the disease to progress to a fatal stage.
There are currently no tests to identify rabies before it reaches this stage. A diagnosis is based on the likelihood you have the infection – for example, whether you have visited somewhere with high rates of the disease and if you may have been bitten by a potentially infected animal.
Tests
Tests used to confirm a diagnosis of rabies in its more advanced stages include:
- skin biopsy – a small sample of your skin is removed and checked for the presence of the rabies virus
- saliva test – a sample of your saliva is tested for the presence of the rabies virus
- lumbar puncture – a needle is used to remove a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which can be checked for the rabies antibodies (CSF is the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord)
- blood tests – your blood is checked for the rabies antibodies
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