False positive confirmed after further testing

Further tests have indicated two puppies confirmed to have rabies in the Netherlands in October, were not in fact infected with the disease.

After the puppies were imported into the country from Bulgaria on October 5, initial immunofluorescence tests (IFT) carried out at the National Reference Laboratory came back positive.

However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing proved inconclusive, while virus isolation tests were negative.

As a result, the BSAVA has announced that samples were sent to the European Rabies Reference Laboratory (AFSSA) in France for retesting by IFT, PCR and rabies tissue culture infection. All test results came back negative.

Following this, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) concluded that the original IFT  was a false positive, confirming the puppies rabies negative.

The reported case of rabies back in October sparked concerns among the veterinary profession that abuse of pet travel legislation could have harmful consequences.

Following the announcement, BVA president Robin Hargreaves urged the government to review current enforcement of the Pet Travel Scheme to ensure measures in place are sufficient to protect the UK's rabies-free status.

A rabies warning was issued in France last month after an infected kitten was found in Argenteuil, near Paris. Earlier on in the year, Spanish authorities also activated their rabies contingency plan after a dog carrying the disease was euthanised in Toledo, central Spain.

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