A modified agglutination test for the diagnosis of Besnoitia besnoiti infection

Bovine besnoitiosis is caused by Besnoitia besnoiti, an obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite. Affected animals present cutaneous and systemic manifestations and the disease may lead to considerable economic losses. Although generally associated to tropical and subtropical areas, bovine besnoitiosis is now considered an emergent disease in Europe, due to the increasing number of new cases and apparent geographical expansion. In this study we evaluated the performance of a modified agglutination test (B-MAT) in the serodiagnosis of bovine besnoitiosis in comparison to the indirect immunofluorescent-antibody test (IFAT). To establish optimal protocol conditions we used bovine sera with a known infection status for B. besnoiti infection. Positive animals (n=36) presented B. besnoiti dermal cysts and anti-B. besnoiti specific antibodies, as determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test (IFAT). Negative animals (n=103) were from non-endemic areas in Portugal and negative by the IFAT. From here, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the B-MAT relative to the IFAT with a panel of sera from herds with history of bovine besnoitiosis in Portugal, Spain and France (n=402), using three serum dilutions (1:80, 1:160, 1:320). Considering the positive cut-off at 1:160 serum dilution, the B-MAT showed an almost perfect test agreement with the IFAT; (κ=0.968; 95% CI: 0.941-0.996) with a relative sensitivity of 97.2% (95% CI: 94.1-100%) and a relative specificity of 99.3% (95% CI: 98.4-100%). As a simple and inexpensive technique the B-MAT represents a valuable tool for the diagnosis and study of the epidemiology of bovine besnoitiosis.     

Serodiagnosis of bovine besnoitiosis by ELISA and immunofluorescence tests

Sera from non-infected cattle and cattle infected with Anaplasma, Babesia, Theileria and Sarcocystis were tested for antibodies to Besnoitia in ELISA and immunofluorescence tests (IFT) with Besnoitia besnoiti of blue wildebeest origin as antigen. Only 2 out of 86 sera gave false positive reactions in ELISA and none in the IFT, indicating a high specificity for the tests. Three-hundred-and-three bovine sera from 3 farms in an area endemic for besnoitiosis were similarly tested and the results were correlated with clinical findings based on visual inspection for typical symptoms and the presence of cysts in the scleral conjunctiva. Most of the positive tests were observed in cattle older than 1 year. Of the cases with scleral cysts, 68,7% were positive in the ELISA and 81,74% in the IFT. However, 45,74% (ELISA) and 49,47% (IFT) of the clinically negative cattle were clinically positive, indicating a high incidence of clinically inapparent infection. These results indicate a relatively low sensitivity for these serological tests. An unexpected finding was that the ELISA remained negative for at least 60 days after experimental infection of the cattle, the maximum period for which tests were done, whereas the IFT became positive. No antibodies against B. besnoiti could be found in human sera. Besnoitia jellisoni antigen gave positive results with B. besnoiti antibodies in ELISA, but not in the IFT.     

A longitudinal study of Besnoitia besnoiti infections and seasonal abundance of Stomoxys calcitrans in a dairy cattle farm of southwest France

Bovine besnoitiosis, caused by the cyst-forming apicomplexan Besnoitia besnoiti, is commonly reported in some restricted regions of South-Western Europe, and in larger regions of Africa and Asia. This infection is thought to be transmitted by blood feeding insects and is responsible for major economic losses in cattle production. A recent emergence in Europe, notified in the Centre of France, Spain and Germany, has attracted more attention to this disease. Clinical signs could appear in some animals; however, many infected cattle remain asymptomatic or show scleral-conjunctival cysts (SCC) only. Recent development of serological methods allows carrying out seroepidemiological field studies. In this respect, a long-term investigation was performed in a dairy cattle farm localized in an enzootic area of besnoitiosis of South-western France between March 2008 and May 2009. The objective was to estimate the seasonal pattern of B. besnoiti infections based on the presence of SCC and serology (ELISA and Western blot). In parallel, an entomological survey was conducted to describe population dynamics of Stomoxys calcitrans and Tabanidae species. The seroprevalence determined by Western blot in a cohort of 57 animals continuously present during the whole survey increased from 30% in March 2008 to 89.5% in May 2009 and was always higher than the prevalence based on clinically assessed SCC. New positive B. besnoitia seroconversions occurred throughout the year with the highest number in spring. In addition, many seroconversions were reported in the two months before turn-out and could be associated with a high indoors activity of S. calcitrans during this period.     

Immunological relationship between Neospora caninum and Besnoitia besnoiti

Neospora caninum is a coccidian parasite identified as a major cause of abortion in cattle. A combined infection of N. caninum with another taxonomically related parasite of cattle, Besnoitia besnoiti can occur in geographical areas endemic for both species. Both infections are routinely diagnosed serologically, and incorrect diagnosis could occur if immunological cross-reactivity exists between the two parasites. To investigate the possible degree of cross-reactivity, we compared results obtained with two serological techniques, immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA), and Western blot analysis on known positive and negative sera. The test sera were derived from naturally infected cattle and from experimentally infected Mongolian gerbils. In IFA of bovine sera, no cross-reactvity was detected at the commonly used serum dilution cutoffs of 1:200 for N. caninum and 1:256 for B. besnoiti. However, at 1:64 dilution of both cattle and gerbil sera, anti-N. caninum sera reacted with B. besnoiti antigen in some individual samples. Anti-B. besnoiti serum did not react with N. caninum antigen at any dilution. This low level one directional cross-reactivity was confirmed by Western blot analysis. B. besnoiti antigen showed two immunoreactive bands when probed with anti-N. caninum serum, while no bands appeared when N. caninum antigen was probed with B. besnoiti antiserum. Immunization and challenge experiments in the highly susceptible Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) showed essentially no cross-protection between N. caninum and B. besnoiti.     

Evidence for bovine besnoitiosis being endemic in Italy--first in vitro isolation of Besnoitia besnoiti from cattle born in Italy

Until 2009, bovine besnoitiosis had never been considered endemic in Italy and the only report on the disease in this country referred to animals imported from France shortly before. However, recently, an autochthonous outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis was reported in four herds located at the intersection of the borders between Emilia-Romagna, Toscana and Marche (Northern Apennine Mountains), which has led to an increased awareness concerning this disease. The present study describes a further outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in Italy. The afflicted herd was a dairy herd with no evidence for contact with cattle from regions known to be endemic for bovine besnoitiosis. The farm investigation was initiated after a three-year old Holstein Friesian dairy cow with generalized thickening and lichenification of the skin was diagnosed with bovine besnoitiosis. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by gross pathology, histopathology, serology and PCR. Bradyzoites released from tissue cysts obtained from the skin of this animal enabled the first in vitro isolation of Besnoitia besnoiti in Italy. This isolate was named Bb-Italy1. Sequencing of a 2118 bp spanning region including the complete internal transcribed spacer 1 and parts of the 18S and the 5.8S rRNA gene from DNA extracted from skin-derived zoites revealed a 99.9% identity to sequences known for other B. besnoiti isolated from cattle in Europe. Two GKO mice which had been inoculated intraperitoneally with bovine skin-derived bradyzoites became ill 7 days post inoculation. Parasitophorous vacuoles with multiplying zoites were observed in the cell culture inoculated with peritoneal fluids of these mice and a B. besnoiti infection in the mice and in the cell culture could be confirmed by real-time PCR. A serological investigation in the afflicted herd using immunoblots and an immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) revealed an overall herd seroprevalence of 9.7% (31/321), whereas within the female animals older than 2 years 17.0% (29/171) of the dams were tested positive. With one exception, an imported cow from Germany, all the seropositive animals were born in Italy. In connection with previously described autochthonous cases of bovine besnoitiosis the case described herein suggests that bovine besnoitiosis should be considered endemic in Italy.     

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies againstBesnoitia besnoiti in cattle

The use of the ELISA method for the detection of antibodies to B. besnoiti in cattle is described and compared to the IFAT technique. One hundred and twenty-one sera were examined, of which 61 were sera of calves experimentally infected with B. besnoiti, 52 sera from field animals and eight were sera with high titres of antibodies to other parasites. The specificity of both assays correlates but ELISA seemed to be more sensitive. The ELISA technique provides a rapid and reliable method for the screening of B. besnoiti infection in cattle.     

Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction assays for the sensitive detection of Besnoitia besnoiti infection in cattle

Bovine besnoitiosis, an economically important disease in cattle in some countries of Africa and Asia, is emerging in Europe. The definitive host of Besnoitia besnoiti, the causative agent of bovine besnoitiosis, is unknown and the transmission of the parasite is not completely understood. Sensitive and quantitative DNA detection methods are needed to determine whether serologically positive animals are infectious and to examine the role of vectors (e.g. haematophagous insects) in the transmission of the parasite. To this end, we established two different 5'-nuclease quantitative assays to detect B. besnoiti infection in cattle and to estimate the parasite load in samples (BbRT1 and BbRT2). These PCRs are based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS-1) of the ribosomal RNA gene. Tests with serial dilutions of B. besnoiti genomic DNA in a buffer containing 100 ng/μl bovine DNA revealed a detection limit of 0.01 pg genomic B. besnoiti DNA. Reliable quantification was possible in samples containing ≥1 pg B. besnoiti genomic DNA with a coefficient of variation of ≤ 2%. To estimate the diagnostic sensitivity of the tests, skin biopsies and scrapings from the mucous membrane of the vestibulum vaginae (vaginal scrapings) were taken from cattle with clinical signs of chronic besnoitiosis. Regardless of the real time PCR assay used, 90.7% (39/43) of these animals were positive in at least one of two samples (skin or vaginal scrapings). Antibody titers, as determined by an immunofluorescent antibody test, and the threshold cycle values of the real time PCR obtained for skin samples and vaginal scrapings, were significantly correlated. The specificity of the PCRs was confirmed using genomic DNA from related parasites, including genomic DNA of Besnoitia spp., Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Hammondia hammondi, Hammondia heydorni, Isospora spp., Sarcocystis spp., Eimeria bovis, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Since the sequence of the ITS-1 region of B. besnoiti is identical with that of Besnoitia species isolated from donkeys (Besnoitia bennetti), and reindeer (Besnoitia tarandi), both real time PCRs detected also DNA of these parasites. One of the B. besnoiti real time PCRs, BbRT1, but not BbRT2, cross-reacted with Besnoitia darlingi, Besnoitia oryctofelisi, and Besnoitia neotomofelis when large amounts of genomic DNA (10 ng) were used. The other B. besnoiti real time PCR assay (BbRT2) was specific for B. besnoiti, B. bennetti and B. tarandi, but did not react when 10 ng DNA of other related parasite species from the genus Besnoitia or other genera were subjected to analysis.     

Evaluation of a commercial ELISA for the specific detection of antibodies against Besnoitia besnoiti

Bovine besnoitiosis is an economically important disease in cattle caused by the protozoan parasite Besnoitia besnoiti, which occurs endemically in many countries of Africa and Asia and is spreading in Europe. Serological identification of subclinically infected cattle is important to avoid the introduction of infected animals into naive herds. Here we determine the sensitivity and specificity of the PrioCHECK^® Besnoitia Ab, a serological test recently introduced into the European market. Analytical specificity was examined using sera from animals experimentally infected with parasites related to B. besnoiti (n = 27). Three animals experimentally infected with Neospora caninum or Toxoplasma gondii showed inconclusive reactions in the ELISA (percent positivity relative to the positive control [PP] 10% ≤ 20%) while all other sera reacted negative (PP < 10%). An estimate of the diagnostic specificity was obtained by analysing field sera from bovine herds without besnoitiosis but with abortion problems associated to N. caninum (n = 403). The analysis revealed a specificity of 94.3% or 96.8% depending on the applied cut-off (PP 10% or 20%, respectively). Sensitivity was assessed with sera from 110 animals of a herd in Germany where clinical bovine besnoitiosis was first diagnosed in September 2008. A positive serological reference standard was defined regarding sera from animals as reference positive, if these animals had tested positive in at least two of a panel of three other serological tests (two different B. besnoiti immunoblots and one immunofluorescence antibody test) on both of two sampling dates, November 2008 and April 2009. A diagnostic sensitivity of 91.8% or 75.5% was determined for sera collected in November 2008 and a sensitivity of 82.7% or 50% for sera collected in April 2009 (cut-off PP 10% or PP 20%, respectively). The marked drop in sensitivity from November 2008 to April 2009 was predominantly observed in reference-positive cattle without clinical signs. We conclude that PrioCHECK^® Besnoitia Ab is a valuable diagnostic tool to detect clinically infected animals. Thus it may be used to support control measures, e.g., for the separation of infected animals from the remaining herd to avoid a further transmission of the infection within the herd.     

Validation of an ELISA method for the serological diagnosis of canine brucellosis due to Brucella canis

In the present study, the validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of canine brucellosis is described. Two different antigenic extracts, obtained by heat or ultrasonic homogenization of microbial antigens from a wild isolate of Brucella canis bacteria, were compared by ELISA and Western blot (WB). A total of 145 canine sera were used to define sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the ELISA as follows: (1) sera from 34 animals with natural B. canis infection, confirmed by blood culture and PCR, as well as 51 sera samples from healthy dogs with negative results by the agar–gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for canine brucellosis, were used as the control panel for B. canis infection; and (2) to scrutinize the possibility of cross reactions with other common dog infections in the same geographical area in Brazil, 60 sera samples from dogs harboring known infections by Leptospira sp., Ehrlichia canis, canine distemper virus (CDV), Neospora caninum, Babesia canis and Leishmania chagasi (10 in each group) were included in the study. The ELISA using heat soluble bacterial extract (HE-antigen) as antigen showed the best values of sensitivity (91.18%), specificity (100%) and accuracy (96.47%). In the WB analyses, the HE-antigen showed no cross-reactivity with sera from dogs with different infections, while the B. canis sonicate had various protein bands identified by those sera. The performance of the ELISA standardized with the heat soluble B. canis antigen indicates that this assay can be used as a reliable and practical method to confirm infection by this microorganism, as well as a tool for seroepidemiological studies.     

Identification and partial purification of soluble antigens from culture-grown Besnoitia besnoiti endozoites

Soluble antigens from culture-grown Besnoitia besnoiti endozoites were identified following their partial purification by affinity chromatography. A specific eluate obtained after affinity chromatography on a column to which antibodies from serum of a naturally infected cow were bound exhibited seven polypeptide bands on sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Five bands were observed in the eluate from an immunoadsorbent to which antibodies from an experimentally infected calf were coupled. Eluted antigens were reactive in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Reactivity of electrophoretically resolved antigens with sera of endozoite-inoculated cattle and sera from field cases of besnoitiosis were studied using the Western immunoblotting technique.     

Cathepsin L cysteine proteinase in the diagnosis of bovine Fasciola gigantica infection

Cathepsin L cysteine proteinase from Fasciola gigantica was evaluated for its potential in the early prepatent detection of this helminth infection in bovine calves. Five cross-bred bovine calves were experimentally infected with 400 metacercariae/calf and evaluated for anti-cathepsin L antibody response. F. gigantica infection in these calves could be detected 4 weeks post-infection using an ELISA, dipstick ELISA and Western blotting with 100% sensitivity. The antigen was also used to detect F. gigantica field infection in cattle, by screening 256 sera of these animals by an ELISA, which demonstrated an overall infection rate of 26.95%. Preliminary studies showed that F. gigantica cathepsin L cysteine proteinase does not cross-react with Paramphistomum epiclitum, Gigantocotyle explanatum and hydatid cyst antigens. However, extensive studies on the cross-reactivity of this antigen with related helminth parasites of cattle and buffaloes are required, before this antigen can be considered suitable for immuno-diagnosis of fasciolosis in these ruminants.     

Serological evidence of spirochaetal infections associated with digital dermatitis in dairy cattle

A potentially infectious aetiology for digital dermatitis in dairy cattle was investigated and centred on the possible involvement of spirochaetes. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect bovine anti-Borrelia burgdorferi (B31) and anti-Treponeme (USA bovine isolates) antibodies in the sera of cows; sera were further tested for antigen specificity by Western blotting. Compared to normal cows, those with digital dermatitis had a much higher seropositivity rate to B. burgdorferi and the treponemes. Significant correlations were shown between antibodies to B. burgdorferi and to Treponemes (P < 0.001), suggesting strong cross-reacting epitopes shared by these spirochaetes. In Western blotting of B. burgdorferi antigens, the main band detected by ELISA positive sera was the 41 kDa flagellar protein; lesser frequency of staining was seen with 34 (OspB), 39 and 55 kDa bands. For the USA treponeme antigens, ELISA positive sera gave reactions to the 34-kDa band and also bands at 41 and 55 kDa. Polyclonal antibodies to Treponema denticola and T. vincentii showed reactions with the bovine treponemes which were predominantly to the 34-kDa antigen. Monoclonal antibodies to B. burgdorferi flagella (41 kDa) antigen and OspA (31 kDa) did not detect any treponeme bands in Western blotting. The study has provided serological evidence that spirochaetes (which are related to human treponemes) may be involved in the pathogenesis of digital dermatitis.     

Isolation of Besnoitia besnoiti from infected cattle in Portugal

Besnoitia besnoiti, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite belonging to the phylum apicomplexa, is the causative agent of bovine besnoitiosis. Besnoitiosis is responsible for significant losses in the cattle industry of Africa and Mediterranean countries due to the high morbidity rate, abortion and infertility in males. The acute stage of disease is associated with the proliferative forms (tachyzoites) and is characterized by fever, whimpery, general weakness and swelling of the superficial lymph nodes. During the following chronic stage, a huge number of cysts are formed mainly in the subcutaneous tissues. This process is non-reversible, and chronic besnoitiosis is characterized by hyper-sclerodermia, hyperkeratosis, alopecia and, in bulls, atrophy, sclerosis and focal necrosis that cause irreversible lesions in the testis. In this paper we report on the identification of large cysts in the skin of a cow and a bull in Portugal, which presented loss of hair and enlargement and pachydermis all over the body. The observation of a two-layered cyst wall within the host cell, the encapsulation of the host cell by a large outer cyst wall, and the subcutaneous localization of the cysts within the host, were characteristic for B. besnoiti. The parasites were isolated from the infected animals and successfully propagated in Vero cells without prior passages in laboratory animals. Morphological characterization of B. besnoiti tachyzoites and the amplification of the 149 bp segment from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), aided with specific primers, confirmed the identification of B. besnoiti.     

Trichinella spiralis infection induces β-actin co-localized with thymosin β4

A serological survey for Neospora caninum and Besnoitia besnoiti was carried out in beef and dairy cattle in South Australia. Serum samples of dairy cattle (n=133) from 9 properties and tank milk samples from a further 122 dairy herds were tested. An additional 810 sera from beef cattle from 51 properties were also tested. Testing at the individual animal level by IDEXX NEOSPORA X2 Ab test ELISA revealed a low prevalence of N. caninum antibodies of only 2.7% (95% CI; 1.6-3.7%) sera positive, as did the milk testing that showed 2.5% (95% CI; 1.4-3.6%) of tank milks being positive. At the herd level, 29.4% (95% CI; 16.9-41.9%) of beef, and 44.4% (95% CI; 12.0-76.9%) of dairy cattle herds showed serum antibodies. The highest within-herd prevalence in beef was 20% and 25%in dairy, which explains the low herd prevalence in dairy detected by bulk milk testing. Testing for B. besnoiti antibodies by PrioCHECK(?) Besnoitia Ab 2.0 ELISA initially identified 18.4% (95% CI: 15.8-21.0%) of 869 individual cattle sera as positive by ELISA at the manufacturer's suggested cut-off threshold (15 PP). Additional tests by immunoblot and IFAT, however, could not confirm any of the ELISA results. The use of a higher (40 PP) threshold in the ELISA is suggested to improve specificity. There is thus no evidence of B. besnoiti infection in South Australian cattle.     

Sensitivity and specificity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus antibody in cattle.

A reliable bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) viral antigen was prepared from BVD virus grown on Madin Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells by solubilizing the virus with detergent MEGA-10 (decanoyl-N-methylglucamide) followed by removal of hydrophobic proteins with Triton X-100 treatment. By these treatments, problems of high background associated with BVD viral antigen in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were eliminated. With this new antigen, an ELISA was adapted to detect bovine serum antibody against BVD virus. The diagnostic specificity of the assay in 403 bovine sera collected from a BVD virus-free herd was 100%; in 296 bovine sera with serum neutralizing antibody titers of greater than or equal to 1:2, 289 sera were ELISA positive (relative sensitivity of 97.6%), two sera gave false negative reactions (0.7%) and five sera gave suspicious reactions (1.7%). These interpretations were based on positive/negative (P/N) ratio readings, i.e. a P/N ratio of less than 1.50, 1.50-1.99 and greater than or equal to 2.00 were interpreted as negative, suspicious and positive reactions, respectively. The ELISA results gave excellent agreement with serum neutralization in detecting both seropositive and seronegative animals (Kappa = 0.994). The ELISA assay was considered to be technically superior to the serum neutralization test for the routine detection of BVD viral antibody in bovine sera.     

A comparison of serologic tests for the detection of serum antibodies to whole-cell and recombinant Borrelia burgdorferi antigens in cattle

Serum samples from healthy dairy and beef cattle, living in tick-infested areas of Connecticut, USA, were analyzed by polyvalent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining methods, or Western blot procedures to detect antibodies to tick-borne agents. Of the 80 sera tested by ELISA with whole-cell or 10 separate recombinant antigens (fusion proteins) of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, 57 (71%) were positive to 1 or more antigens, while 36 (45%) reacted to whole-cell antigens by IFA staining methods. Three (4%) of 80 samples had antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum. There were antibodies to outer surface protein (Osp) A, OspB, OspC, OspE, OspF, protein (p) 41-G, p35, p37, and VlsE antigens of B. burgdorferi, but there was no reactivity to the p39 antigen by ELISA. Western immunoblots of a subset of 9 sera verified antibody presence in all samples and showed distinct reactivities to multiple proteins having molecular masses of about 31 kilodaltons (kDa), 34 kDa, 35 kDa, 41 kDa, and 83/93 kDa. High specificity (97%) was noted when 16 cattle sera containing antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovars, Brucella sp., Anaplasma marginale, or A. phagocytophilum were tested by ELISA with separate whole-cell or recombinant B. burgdorferi antigens. An ELISA and Western blot analyses can be used to confirm the exposure of cattle to B. burgdorferi.     

Development and application of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of bovine viral diarrhea antibody based on Erns glycoprotein expressed in a baculovirus system.

The BVDV envelope glycoprotein E(rns)/gp48 and the C terminal 79 amino acids of the capsid protein coding region were expressed in a baculovirus system and antigenically characterized. Western blot assay was used to detect recombinant E(rns) (r-E(rns)) in infected insect cells using specific monoclonal antibodies. The r-E(rns) was then used in an indirect ELISA to detect BVDV specific antibodies in a panel of 540 well-characterized sera. Results of the r-E(rns) ELISA were compared to those obtained with a commercially available competitive ELISA targeting anti-NS2/3 antibodies. A good correlation was observed between the 2 ELISA (kappa = 0.916, 95% C.I.: 0.876, 0.956). Using the commercial NS2/3 ELISA as the reference test, the relative sensitivity of r-E(rns) ELISA was 97.5% (95% C.I.: 94.3%, 99.1%) and the relative specificity was 93.9% (95% C.I.: 89.4%, 96.9%), while relative specificity was 100% (95% C.I.: 97%, 100%) using true negative sera (derived from a negative herd). All but 1 antigen positive animals (n = 36) tested negative in the r-E(rns) ELISA; among them all 22 confirmed PI animals were negative by r-E(rns) ELISA. The ability of r-E(rns) ELISA to identify cattle immunized with inactivated vaccine was also demonstrated in a small group of cattle, compared to an NS2/3 antibody ELISA. Results suggest that r-E(rns) ELISA represents an alternative test for antibody generated by natural infection or BVDV vaccination.     

Isolation and purification of a diagnostic antigen for bovine cysticercosis by hydrophobic chromatography

An ammonium sulfate fraction of Taenia hydatigena cyst fluid (ThFAS) was further fractionated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography, using alkylagarose and omega-amino alkylagarose columns, in an effort to isolate and purify a specific diagnostic antigen in the ThFAS preparation. The less than 12 kDa antigen was found to have an affinity for immobilized alkanes with chain length of six carbons or greater. The antigen was recovered in an ethylene glycol eluate from a hexylagarose column then analyzed by Western blot; it reacted with bovine and human cysticercosis infection sera and with specific monoclonal antibodies but not with control sera or fascioliasis infection sera. When the eluate was used as coating antigen in a plate ELISA assay no false positive reactions were seen in sera from cattle infected with Fasciola hepatica; false positive reactions were observed for the unfractionated ThFAS antigen preparation.     

Use of Echinococcus granulosus worm antigens for immunodiagnosis of E. granulosus infection in dogs.

Echinococcus granulosus worm excretory/secretory antigens (WES) were used in ELISA for diagnosis of E. granulosus infection in dogs and compared with protoscolex somatic antigens (PSM). Sera from 224 dogs were tested. There was no correlation between ELISA absorbance values and E. granulosus worm burdens using either antigen. There was a significant linear relationship between absorbance values of sera tested in the ELISA using WES (W-ELISA) and the ELISA using PSM (P-ELISA). However, there was a small but significant difference between the absorbance values of the sera tested against the two antigens. Western blot analysis of WES using sera from E. granulosus-infected and uninfected dogs revealed antigenic components of relative molecular mass (Mr) larger than 94,000, Mr 94,000-68,000 and Mr 43,000-39,000 in worms, and these were specific for E. granulosus and not identified in PSM; these antigenic differences may be responsible for differences in reactivity in ELISA. The sensitivities of W-ELISA and P-ELISA were 80.8% and 75.6%, respectively. The specificities of W-ELISA and P-ELISA were 93.7% and 97.9%, respectively. The reduced specificity in W-ELISA was mainly attributable to increased background reactivity of sera from Taenia hydatigena-infected dogs. Despite the reduction in specificity, both ELISAs are valuable epidemiological tools to determine the prevalence of antibody to E. granulosus in dog populations and to monitor the success of hydatid control campaigns.     

Further evaluation of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis

The sensitivity and specificity of an ELISA for the detection of bovine IgG anti-Mycobacterium bovis antibodies were 73.6% and 94.1%, respectively, as determined in 53 bacteriologically confirmed tuberculous cattle and 101 healthy cattle from a tuberculosis-free area. In addition, the results of ELISA and tuberculin tests in 149 cattle were compared with those of subsequent necropsy studies. Both tests failed to detect 2 animals with tuberculous lesions and positive culture; 3/12 cattle with M. bovis isolation and no lesions, and 2/7 with atypical mycobacterial infection reacted to tuberculin, but none had antibodies; in 128 cattle with neither lesions nor mycobacterial isolation, 6 were tuberculin reactors and 7 others had antibodies. Negative results were obtained by ELISA in 21/22 paratuberculous cattle. Antibodies were not detected in 88.9% to 96.4% of 697 cattle from two tuberculin negative herds of an endemic area. In a herd with proved M. bovis infection, distribution of seropositive animals in tuberculin and non-tuberculin reactors was similar. Antibody responses to cutaneous tuberculin stimuli were observed in 4 experimentally infected cattle, but only in 2/10 healthy controls after repeated PPD stimuli. Nine controls which had either received a single tuberculin dose or none showed no increase in antibody levels. The low sensitivity of this ELISA limits its usefulness as a diagnostic tool for bovine tuberculosis eradication campaigns. However, it could be helpful in epidemiological surveillance if its efficiency to identify infected herds is demonstrated.