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CDC and collaborating researchers have developed a new monoclonal antibody that recognizes canine IgG (likely IgG4 subclass). This anti-dog IgG reagent could be used to detect antibody reactions to a variety of antigens and has potential use in a wide variety of diagnostic or research applications.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies causes greater than 59,000 deaths every year in over 150 countries as of 2017. A rapid and reliable diagnostic test for rabies is critical for prophylaxis considerations in humans bitten by animals as well as for basic surveillance and animal rabies control programs. The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) and WHO Expert Committee on Rabies recently approved the direct rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) for rabies diagnostics.

Flaviviruses such as Zika virus, dengue virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus cause widespread illness and death throughout the world. Typically, flaviviruses get transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes and ticks.

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other severe birth defects. The CDC Zika MAC-ELISA (IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) currently used for diagnosis detects antibodies produced to fight a Zika virus infection. However, reactivity of flavivirus antibodies (from exposure to other mosquito-borne infections such as dengue or West Nile virus) can complicate the interpretation of these results.

According to 2010-2014 World Health Organization (WHO) research, dog-transmitted human rabies was present or suspected in 150 countries and territories worldwide. Domestic dogs were the most common reservoir of the rabies virus in these countries, and more than 99% of human deaths were caused by dog-transmitted rabies. Rabies is 100% preventable in dogs with appropriate administration of vaccines.

Lyssaviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses that cause rabies and rabies-like diseases in mammals. According to the World Health Organization, human rabies caused by the classical rabies virus continues to be almost 100% fatal once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, with no specific treatment available anywhere in the world.

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax-contaminated spores can be found naturally in soil and they commonly affect domestic and wild animals around the world. Although rare in the United States, people can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a disease caused by infection with viruses from the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 in Africa and has since caused numerous outbreaks throughout the continent including the largest outbreak in history in West Africa during 2014-2016. Previously, there were three identified Ebolavirus species which were known to cause disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); and Tai Forest virus (Tai Forest ebolavirus).

Dengue Virus (DENV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is secreted in blood during the acute phase of viremic DENV infection. While there are commercially available ELISA assays for DENV NS1 detection, these tests have limited sensitivity (50-70%), do not determine the serotype of the infecting DENV, do not detect all four serotypes equally, or are less sensitive in subsequent DENV infections. There is a critical need for serotype specific diagnostics to inform public health and potentially clinical care interventions.

Zika virus is a flavivirus that is spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The current outbreak and swift dissemination/spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) and its linkage to birth defects and neurological syndromes has prompted the development of novel diagnostic tests. Because ZIKV is serologically similar to other flaviviruses such as dengue virus (DNV), cross-reactivity occurs in diagnostic tests and can result in misdiagnoses. This is especially evident in populations that live in dengue-endemic regions or have received heterologous flaviviral vaccines (i.e., yellow fever 17D).