A Microtitration Agglutination Test for Detecting Group E Streptococcus Infection in Swine

A microtitration agglutination test was developed and evaluated for detecting infection of swine with group E streptococci type IV, the most common causative agent of streptococcic lymphadenitis of swine.

Whole cell agglutinogens representing group and type antigens of group E streptococci were tested in the microtitration agglutination test against reference antisera to Streptococcus groups A, B, C, D, E, F, G. H, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S and U, as well as specific antisera to types II, IV and V of group E. Group E specific agglutinogens were unsatisfactory in the microtitration agglutination test because of cross reactions with group P and U antisera and because of poor reproducibility of the test. Type specific agglutinogens of group E streptococci reacted only with their respective homologous antisera and not with any heterologous group antisera. None of the group E streptococci agglutinogens reacted with 52 normal swine sera.

Agglutinogen made from group E streptococci type IV was selected for further evaluation in the microtitration agglutination test because group E streptococci types II and V are considered to be of minor importance in the etiology of streptococcic lymphadenitis of swine. Swine experimentally infected with a type IV strain developed significant titers in the microtitration agglutination test. All swine tested negative before exposure and seroconverted (titer ≥4) two to six weeks postexposure.

The microtitration agglutination test was used by two different laboratories to test 187 duplicate samples of serum from infected swine. A total of 94.1% of the tests were read at either the same titer (48.1%) or a difference of not more than one dilution (46.0%) at the two laboratories. There was disagreement between the two laboratories in the test-positive test-negative status of 19 of the sera (10.2%). Titers of two of the sera differed by two dilutions (<4 at one laboratory and 8 at the other). The remaining 17 sera differed in titer by only one dilution (<4 at one laboratory and 4 at the other).