The fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN) test [5] and the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) [6] utilise a similar principle, to measure the level of virus neutralising antibody in vaccinated individuals. 'Indirect' serological methods, including the FAVN and RFFIT measure the host response to infection/vaccination only and do not detect the presence of infectious virus/antigen directly. However, host antibody detection (FAVN/RFFIT) is an indirect tool to measure the presence of rabies virus in a non-immunised individual by evaluating the host response to infection. The test may lack sensitivity and specificity, and the interpretation of the test results may be difficult as the host response to infection varies substantially between individuals. As such, the negative predictive value of serological tests for rabies diagnosis is considered poor. Therefore, serological assays are not suitable as diagnostic tools for routine rabies testing.