Evaluation of the ELISA test for the antibody detection in cattle naturally and experimentally infected with Cysticerccus bovis

The ELISA test was evaluated for the diagnosis of bovine cysticercosis using heterologous antigens from the larvae of T. solium and T. crassiceps, by using different types of positive and negative control sera, to allow a broader analysis of the results. The ELISA test showed low sensitivity under natural conditions of bovine cysticercosis manifestation, but high rates (up to 90%) under experimental conditions. The high specificity of the test (81-100%) made evident its capacity to differentiate cysticercosis from other bovine diseases. No difference in performance was found among the antigens studied. It was concluded that the ELISA test has deficiencies in detecting anti-cysticercosis antibodies of animals at slaughterhouse. However, it can be useful in detecting experimentally infected animals and differentiating cysticercosis from other bovine diseases.     

Tonsillar lesions in cattle naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis

The upper respiratory tract surfaces, the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils and associated lymph nodes of 32 tuberculin reactor cattle were examined pathologically and bacteriologically. Tuberculous lesions were observed histologically in the palatine tonsils of five animals and in both the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils of a sixth. Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from the tonsils of four of these animals and from the palatine or pharyngeal tonsils of a further eight cattle in which no lesions were observed. The upper respiratory tract surfaces of 10 animals were M bovis-positive.     

Immunohistopathological findings in the lungs of calves naturally infected with Mycoplasma bovis

Histology and immunohistochemistry were used to analyse the lesions and distribution of Mycoplasma bovis antigen in the lungs of 18 naturally infected calves. Microscopic examination of pneumonic lungs revealed two distinct patterns of necrosis and inflammation. The first pattern was observed in six of 18 (33.3%) calves in which microscopic lesions were characterized by large irregular areas of coagulative necrosis surrounded by a dense zone of degenerated neutrophils. Moderate amounts of mycoplasmal antigen were in the centre and periphery of these necrotic foci and, to a lesser extent, in mononuclear cells of the peribronchial lymphoid tissue. The second pattern was observed in 18 of 18 (100%) calves and consisted of rounded foci of caseous necrosis composed by granular eosinophilic material surrounded by a rim of granulation tissue. Large amounts of M. bovis antigen were detected in the centre and periphery of these necrotic foci and, to a lesser extent, in the peribronchial lymphoid tissue, and alveolar and interstitial macrophages. It was concluded that both caseous and coagulative necrosis of the lung parenchyma was primarily caused by M. bovis. Infection with M. bovis should be suspected in bovine necrotic bronchopneumonia, particularly in cases in which the pulmonary necrosis is part of a pyogranulomatous inflammation centred around airways. The pattern of caseous necrosis with pyogranulomatous inflammation is characteristic of M. bovis infection while the pattern of coagulative necrosis is similar to and must be differentiated from Mannheimia haemolytica and Haemophilus somnus infection.     

布鲁菌S2疫苗株免疫牛与牛种、羊种布鲁菌自然感染牛ELISA鉴别诊断方法的建立

为建立区分猪种布鲁菌S2疫苗株接种奶牛与布鲁菌自然感染奶牛,BLAST比对分析羊种、牛种、猪种、犬种、沙林鼠种和绵羊种6种布鲁菌基因序列,发现repA—related基因是猪种布鲁菌与牛种及羊种布鲁菌的差异基因。设计引物PCR扩增获得repA-related基因片段,克隆并原核表达得到了布鲁菌repA—related融合蛋白,以repArelated蛋白建立间接EI．IsA检测方法。用repA—related蛋白间接ELISA检测猪种s2疫苗株接种动物血清为阳性,检测牛种和羊种布鲁菌自然感染动物血清为阴性。repA—related蛋白间接EusA能从试管凝聚实验（SAT）及常规ELIsA检测阳性的奶牛血清样本中,区分出s2疫苗接种牛与牛种布鲁菌感染牛。     

布鲁菌S2疫苗株免疫牛与牛种、羊种布鲁菌自然感染牛ELISA鉴别诊断方法的建立

为建立区分猪种布鲁菌S2疫苗株接种奶牛与布鲁菌自然感染奶牛,BLAST比对分析羊种、牛种、猪种、犬种、沙林鼠种和绵羊种6种布鲁菌基因序列,发现repA-related基因是猪种布鲁菌与牛种及羊种布鲁菌的差异基因。设计引物PCR扩增获得repA-related基因片段,克隆并原核表达得到了布鲁菌repA-related融合蛋白,以repA-related蛋白建立间接ELISA检测方法。用repA-related蛋白间接ELISA检测猪种S2疫苗株接种动物血清为阳性,检测牛种和羊种布鲁菌自然感染动物血清为阴性。repA-related蛋白间接ELISA能从试管凝聚实验(SAT)及常规ELISA检测阳性的奶牛血清样本中,区分出S2疫苗接种牛与牛种布鲁菌感染牛。     

Evaluation of three Brucella soluble antigens used in an indirect Elisa to discriminate S19 vaccinated from naturally infected cattle

An O-polysaccharide (O-chain) and a hot-water extracted polysaccharide (PS), both obtained from Brucella abortus 1119-3, and a B. melitensis 16M native hapten (NH) were evaluated by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on three groups of cattle sera. The sera tested were: (a) 75 sera from cows naturally infected with B. abortus; (b) 130 sera from non-infected and non-vaccinated cattle; and (c) 61 sera from non-infected heifers recently vaccinated with B. abortus Strain 19 (S19). Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp) and the capability to discriminate vaccinated cattle (ADV) were determined. Using PS antigen, Se was 100% and the Sp was 97.7%, while the highest Sp was obtained by using the O-chain (99.2% ). For the NH antigen, Se was 94.7% and the Sp was 90.0%. The ADV of the three antigens was approximately 85%. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between O-chain/PS and O-chain/NH antigens. The agreement among antigens determined by kappa coefficient was 0.899 for O-chain/PS, 0.845 for O-chain/NH and 0.795 for PS/NH.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for differentiation of the antibody response of cattle naturally infected with Brucella abortus or vaccinated with strain 19

Purified O chain of Brucella abortus was passively attached to polystyrene to differentiate antibody responses of cattle vaccinated with B abortus strain 19 from those of naturally infected cattle. In the indirect assay, using O polysaccharide as antigen, a single serum dilution was used and mouse monoclonal antibody to bovine L chain conjugated with horseradish peroxidase was the detection reagent. Measurable antibody was not found in sera of vaccinated cattle, except for 3 sera from cattle that were persistently infected with strain 19. Sera from 25 cattle infected with pathogenic strains contained antibody on the basis of results of indirect enzyme immunoassay, using smooth lipopolysaccharide or O chain as antigens, or results of competitive enzyme immunoassay, using the O-chain antigen. Results in sera from calves with experimentally induced Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 0:9 infection or inoculated with a low dose of B abortus strain 2308 were comparable with those in sera of cattle that were vaccinated with strain 19. The data correlated with those from competitive enzyme immunoassay, using one serum dilution and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated mouse monoclonal antibody to smooth lipopolysaccharide. On the basis of results of the indirect enzyme immunoassay, all sera (except those samples obtained before inoculation) contained antibody to smooth lipopolysaccharide.     

Comparison of an agar-gel immunodiffusion test with other serological methods for differentiating Brucella infected from vaccinated cattle.

An agar-gel immunodiffusion test was compared with other serological tests for detection of antibodies in the sera of 48 cattle vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19. Two hundred forty-two sera were tested over a 12 month period, and addition of positive reactions for each test resulted in totals of 170 for the card test, 74 for the standard tube-agglutination test, 71 for the 2-mercaptoethanol test, 64 for the dithiothreitol test and 22 for the agar-gel immunodiffusion test.     

Specific lymphocyte stimulation in cattle naturally infected with strains of Brucella abortus and cattle vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19.

Cell-mediated immune responses in cattle naturally infected with strains of Brucella abortus and in cattle vaccinated with B abortus strain 19 during calfhood were studied by an in vitro lymphocyte-stimulation procedure. Lymphocytes were prepared from peripheral bovine blood by the Ficoll-diatrizoate technique, suspended in RPMI-1640 medium (1.5 X 10(6) lymphocytes/ml), cultured with B abortus-soluble antigen or phytohemagglutinin, and incubated for 6 days. Sixteen hours prior to termination of incubation, cultures were labeled with 1 muCi of [3H]thymidine (3HdT) and, after harvesting, assayed for 3HdT incorporation into DNA by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Lymphocytes from cattle with bacteriologically confirmed isolation of B abortus underwent a significantly higher lymphocyte stimulation with B abortus-soluble antigen than did cattle vaccinated with B abortus strain 19 during calfhood (P less than 0.005). Standard seroagglutination tests were conducted simultaneously with lymphocyte-stimulation tests, but there was no apparent correlation between levels of humoral antibodies and the cell-mediated immune responses as measured by in vitro specific lymphocyte stimulation.     

Antibodies to mycobacteria in cattle not infected with Mycobacterium bovis

An indirect anti-IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a whole cell sonicate of Mycobacterium bovis as the coating antigen, was used to detect anti-mycobacterial antibodies in cattle not infected with M. bovis. False positive M. bovis ELISA scores were produced in 6 cattle experimentally inoculated with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare-scrofulaceum (MAIS) serovars 2, 8, 9, 14 and 18 and Mycobacterium flavescens, respectively. False positive ELISA results were also found in 39.5% of cattle from which other mycobacteria were cultured and in 56.4% of necropsied cattle with other pathological conditions. No M. bovis was cultured from these animals. Other groups of animals, with no pathological conditions, which had been tuberculin-tested negative, tuberculin-tested positive and never tuberculin tested showed positive ELISA results in 15.4%, 73.6% and 42.4% of the respective groups. The variation of these non-specific responses in uninfected cattle highlights the need for careful selection of negative controls in evaluating ELISAs for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.     

Development of an ELISA to differentiate between animals either vaccinated with or infected by Aujeszky's disease virus

The use of two monoclonal antibodies specific for glycoproteins GI and GIII of the pseudorabies virus led to the development of a competitive ELISA which made it possible to differentiate animals infected with pseudorabies virus from animals vaccinated with the strains of the virus Bartha, NAI4 or Norden. A postvaccinal serological response could be detected from three to four weeks after vaccination. After the virulent challenge of these vaccinated pigs an infectious serological response became apparent two weeks after the challenge.     

Homologous and heterologous antibody reactions in sera from cattle naturally infected with bovine ephemeral fever group viruses

Four viruses belonging to the bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) group have been isolated from bovine blood. Infection of cattle with BEF virus was associated with neutralizing antibody responses to BEF, Kimberley (KIM), Berrimah (BRH) and Adelaide River (ADE) viruses, with highest antibody titres to BEF and KIM viruses. Infection of one cow with KIM virus was associated with a homologous neutralizing antibody response and nil or minimal responses to the other three viruses. Infection of a steer with ADE virus was associated with a rise in neutralizing antibody levels to ADE virus and to KIM virus, but not to BEF or BRH viruses. Infection of a steer with BRH virus was associated with marked neutralizing antibody rises to BRH and BEF viruses and small rises to KIM and ADE viruses. An antibody rise to BEF virus did not necessarily indicate recent BEF virus infection, and should be considered of diagnostic value only when taken in conjunction with clinical signs of disease.     

Comparable sensitivity and specificity in three commercially available ELISAs to differentiate between cattle infected with or vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease virus

Three commercially available ELISAs for the detection of antibodies to the non-structural proteins of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) were evaluated, using sera from uninfected, vaccinated, infected, inoculated, first vaccinated and subsequently infected, and first vaccinated and subsequently inoculated cattle. We compared antibody kinetics to non-structural proteins, sensitivity, and specificity. One of the ELISAs had a higher sensitivity and much lower specificity than the other two, therefore we established standardised cutoff values for the compared assays using receiver operated characteristic (ROC) curves. Using the standardised cutoff values, all three ELISAs produced comparable results with respect to sensitivity and specificity. Antibody development to non-structural proteins after infection and after vaccination/infection was not significantly different. Development of antibodies, however, both neutralising and directed to non-structural proteins, was significantly delayed after intranasal inoculation as compared to intradermolingual infection. Based on results of sera obtained after vaccination and experimental infection all three assays can be used for testing sera collected between 4 weeks and 6 months after infection. More information is needed on the prevalence of positive reactors in a situation where emergency vaccination has been used and FMD transmission was still observed.