[Multicenter study of antirabies antibodies in vaccinated subjects: comparison of serologic methods]

Polycentric research is performed in three laboratories to value the immunological response in vaccinated persons against rabies. The serological methods were: the immunoenzymatic test with virus of HDCV vaccine (EIA-V) and viral glycoprotein purified (EIA-P), the neutralizing in vitro test (RFFIT) and the immunofluorescent indirect test (IFI). The sera of 119 subjects were examined by three laboratories, every performed a different test. It is observed a concordance of 98.3% between RFFIT and EIA-V, of 86.8% between RFFIT and EIA-P, of 80.5% between RFFIT and IFI. The RFFIT is the method more sensible and specific for rabies antibody, but more expensive and difficult. The IFI showed late nucleocapsid antibodies and more false positive and negative cases. The EIA-V and EIA-P are efficient, sensible, specific, and not expensive routine methods to point out protective titres of antibodies, above 0.5 UI/ml after 15 day the inoculation of vaccine HDCV.