Halloween may be over, but we’ve still got ghost slime on our mind!
The green in this image might look spooky, but it’s brain tissue of an animal with rabies.
Rabies is diagnosed using the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test. The brain tissue of an animal is placed on a slide, and the DFA is put on top of the tissue; if the animal has rabies, the DFA bonds to the rabies virus proteins in the brain tissue, leaving bright green areas when viewed under a fluorescent microscope.
If a person thinks they’ve been exposed to a rabid animal, our Vermont Department of Health Laboratory tests the animal for rabies so the person can get diagnosed and treated ASAP!
Learn more about how our lab handles rabies at healthvermont.gov/lab/rabies
Original source can be found here.
