Rahmat, RedwanRavensberg, Matthijs F.Schipper, DebbyKroh, KeshiaVeldhuis Kroeze, Edwin J.B.Kuiken, ThijsSabeta, Claude TauraiGeurtsvanKessel, Corine H.Embregts, Carmen W.E.2026-04-092026-04-092025-11-06Rahmat, R., Ravensberg, M.F., Schipper, D. et al. 2025, 'Immunohistochemical investigation of canine lymph nodes collected during a rabies outbreak in South Africa', Journal of General Virology, vol. 106, no. 11, art. 002166, pp. 1-10. DOI 10.1099/jgv.0.002166.0022-1317 (print)1465-2099 (online)10.1099/jgv.0.002166http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109485Rabies is a fatal zoonosis that impairs host immune function, yet effects on peripheral lymphoid architecture are poorly defined. During a 2021–2022 rabies virus (RABV) outbreak in South Africa, we collected cervical lymph nodes from 36 rabies-suspect dogs; RABV RNA was detected in 27. Canine distemper virus RNA was detected in a subset across both RABV-positive (RABV+) and RABV-negative (RABV−) groups and was not associated with clinical-sign count. We set up a computer-assisted histological analysis tool to quantify germinal-centre (GC) nucleus density and immunohistochemistry for CD20, PNA and IBA1 to profile B cells, GC activity and macrophages. Within the outbreak cohort, GC density and marker-based metrics did not differ between RABV+ and RABV− dogs. Two healthy dogs were included as reference tissues; values in outbreak dogs were generally lower, but these contrasts are contextual given the limited, non-matched controls. This study provides a reproducible framework for quantifying immune cell organization in field-collected tissues during natural RABV exposure and highlights the need for larger, geographically matched control groups and complementary functional immune measurements.en© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.B-cell responseImmune depletionLymph nodesMacrophageRabies virus (RABV)Article