Preliminary evaluation of humoral immune response for rabies vaccine using a developed lateral flow immunochromatographic test

In this study, a nanogold lateral flow immunochromatographic test was developed for the detection of rabies antibodies using a panel of well-characterized clinical and experimental serum samples. The lateral flow immunochromatographic rabies virus antibody test underwent a comprehensive evaluation, including an assessment of its limit of detection, cross-reactivity, interference from potential substances, and overall performance. Sensitivity evaluation revealed a limit of detection of 0.5 IU/mL, indicating a positive result. When compared with ELISA using different sera samples, the lateral flow immunochromatographic rabies virus antibody test exhibited robust performance with a sensitivity of 91.1 %, specificity of 92 %, and an overall accuracy of 91.5 %. These results suggest that the lateral flow immunochromatographic rabies virus antibody test could be a suitable tool for evaluating antibody levels in vaccinated animals. Moreover, it provides an alternative approach for assessing the efficacy of inactivated rabies virus vaccines.