[Activities of the diagnosis centre of the Institut Pasteur de Lyon 1976-1980]

A report is presented of five years of work in the Rabies Diagnosis Centre at Lyon. This Centre, supported by the Ministry of Health at the Institut Pasteur of Lyon, investigates the diagnosis in animals of having contaminated humans. During these five years 4012 samples from animals were analysed, 179 of which being diagnosed as rabid (i.e. 4.53%). Four samples from humans were also analysed, one of which being positive. Data collected concerning rabid animals are compared to national or regional data. Studies of various methods used (immunofluorescence test, inoculation in mice, histology--Dr. J.-A. Grimaud and Dr. M. Chevallier) for diagnosis allowed evaluation of each of them. Some of these analyses were completed by bacteriological studies (Dr. E.-N. Guillermet). Besides this diagnosis the Centre takes part in epidemiological study of the disease, maintains a virus collection and allows diagnosis of other zoonosis or anthropozoonosis useful for veterinarians and for better protection of human health.