Pennsylvania Department of Health
Bureau of Laboratories

Division of Clinical Microbiology
110 Pickering Way
Exton, PA 19341-1310
Phone: 610-450-2098
Fax: 610-450-1932

Rabies Testing
Human Contact Specimens

All Human Exposure Specimens Should Be Submitted to the Bureau of Laboratories for Testing.
 
Nature of the Specimen

Suspect animals with valid human exposure (bite, exposure of open wounds to saliva, scratch, contact of saliva with eye or mucous membranes) should be tested for rabies. Handling of animals with no exposure to saliva does not constitute human exposure.

Live Specimens

Never submit live animals. They cannot be accepted. The laboratory is not equipped to handle live animals. Care must be taken when sacrificing the animal not to damage the brain.
 
Dead Specimens

Only the head of a suspect dog, cat, raccoon, skunk, groundhog, or fox is to be submitted for rabies examination. The laboratory does not have adequate means for disposal of whole animals. It is preferable to have a veterinarian remove the head.

The entire animal should be submitted when submitting a bat, chipmunk, or squirrel.

Large animal heads, such as cattle, oxen, horses, must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture Laboratory in Harrisburg even if there is human exposure. The Harrisburg Laboratory has the facilities to remove brain tissue from such large animals. They will then ship the brain to the proper laboratory for testing. An alternative is for the local veterinarian to remove the brain and ship it directly to the Bureau of Laboratories. 

Pet hamsters, gerbils, and mice are not routinely accepted for rabies testing. 
  
  
Preparation of the Specimen for Delivery to the Laboratory

Packing the Specimen

The severed head or whole animal should be placed in a watertight container such as a heavy plastic bag tied with a string or twist tie or in a jar with a tight fitting lid. This container should be placed into a larger watertight container and packed with cold packs. In either case, the HEAD SHOULD NOT BE FROZEN because this will cause a delay in testing.
 
Pertinent Information Required
 
 Human Exposure Rabies Form  

 
(This form can be completed, printed and saved using the Adobe Acrobat Reader.  A completed form must be submitted with each specimen.)
 
Regarding the Specimen

• Kind of animal
• Whether the animal died or was euthanized
• If the animal was confined and observed before death and by whom
• The health condition of the animal before death
• Name, address, and telephone number of the owner of the animal, if known
• Rabies immunization status of the animal
• The circumstances regarding the bite
• Time and date of bite
• Provoked or unprovoked
• Name, address, and telephone number of person or agency submitting the specimen

Regarding the Patient

• Name, address, and telephone number
• If the victim consulted a PHYSICIAN or HEALTH CARE FACILITY, please provide name, address, and telephone number
• Address where human contact occurred

Delivery of the Specimen

The specimen should be hand-delivered or shipped by an overnight delivery service. Specify Saturday Delivery when specimen is shipped on Friday. If using the U.S. Postal Service, Express Mail should be used so that the specimen is received in a timely manner for testing and notification of results.  Check with the local postmaster as the Postal Service may not accept the specimen if improperly packaged.

Specimens can be taken to the following regional Department of Agriculture offices for the shipment to our laboratory: Meadville, Altoona, Montoursville, Tunkhannock, Harrisburg, and Gibsonia.
 
PA Department of Agriculture Regional Offices
 
Laboratory Tests Performed and Reporting Procedures

This laboratory routinely performs the fluorescent antibody test on all specimens.
Laboratory test results are reported promptly by telephone and subsequently confirmed by a written report mailed to the physician and/or veterinarian and to authorized public health officials. Results are routinely reported within 24 hours after the laboratory receives the specimen.

Laboratories in the Commonwealth performing rabies diagnostic work are:

Pennsylvania Department of Health
Bureau of Laboratories
110 Pickering Way
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
610-280-3464

 215-685-6740 or 215-685-6748
Specimens originating within the city limits of Philadelphia should be dispatched to this laboratory.
      
HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN EXPOSURE SPECIMENS .

These numbers are also available in the blue government pages of the local phone book. 
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