RFFIT - Blood serum test for humans and animals (not for travel). Measures response to rabies vaccinations
Current Turnaround Time: RFFIT test results are normally available in 3 to 4 weeks from the date that the sample is received here at the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory.
RFFIT stands for Rapid Fluorescent Foci Inhibition Test. It is a serum neutralization (inhibition) test, which means it measures the ability of rabies specific antibodies to neutralize rabies virus and prevent the virus from infecting cells. These antibodies are called rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNA).
In RFFIT, your serum (the non-cellular portion of your blood) is first diluted fivefold (1 part serum in 4 parts diluent). Further (serial fivefold) dilutions are performed, each of which contain less and less of your serum. These serum dilutions are mixed with a standard amount of live rabies virus and incubated. Whatever RVNA is present will neutralize the virus. Next, some tissue culture cells are added and the serum/virus/cells are incubated together. Whatever rabies virus is left (i.e., that which has not been neutralized by the antibody in your serum), will infect the cells and this can be seen under the microscope through the use of specific staining. Calculation of the endpoint titer is made from the percent of virus infected cells observed on the slide.