The Rabies Laboratory, located at the Wadsworth Center’s Griffin Laboratory in Guilderland, provides New York State with rabies-related laboratory services. Testing performed by the laboratory includes:
- Animal specimen testing
- Human serology testing
- Ante- and post-mortem testing
Additional studies involve:
- Development of new molecular diagnostic methods and procedures for rabies testing
- Multistate virus variant studies for bats, domestics and terrestrials
- Multistate raccoon serology studies
The Rabies Laboratory not only provides crucial testing services which prevent unnecessary loss of human lives, but its services also help prevent the spread of rabies in wildlife through collaborative efforts with the oral vaccination program. Research conducted at the laboratory has delivered major contributions to bat rabies epidemiology.
Program Updates
Wadsworth Center Detects Influenza A H5 in Juvenile Fox
On May 4, 2026, the Wadsworth Center Rabies Laboratory identified influenza A H5 in a juvenile red fox submitted for emergency rabies testing after the fox had been cared for and handled by multiple family members. The fox developed neurological signs compatible with rabies infection, including paralysis, and was euthanized on May 1, 2026. Initial rabies testing performed by the Rabies Laboratory on May 2 was negative.
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From the APHL Blog: One of Mankind’s Oldest Diseases Is Still a Threat: What Public Health Labs Are Doing to Detect and Respond to Rabies
Read the Association of Public Health Laboratories' blog and interview with Wadsworth Center's own Rabies Laboratory Director, Dr. April Davis.
READ MORE about From the APHL Blog: One of Mankind’s Oldest Diseases Is Still a Threat: What Public Health Labs Are Doing to Detect and Respond to Rabies Changes in Weekend/Holiday Staffing at the Rabies Laboratory
Beginning on January 9, 2017, the New York State Department of Health Rabies Laboratory will no longer routinely staff the laboratory on weekends or holidays unless the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control (BCDC) has approved a request for emergency testing.Requests for emergency testing must be received by 3:00PM on Fridays (or the last business day before a holiday) to ensure Rabies Laboratory staff are aware of an incoming weekend/holiday specimen.
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