Lung-tissue extract as an alternative to serum for surveillance for brucellosis in chamois

Prev Vet Med. 2000 Jan 20;43(2):117-22. doi: 10.1016/s0167-5877(99)00090-2.

Abstract

Serological surveys are the most-used way to study diseases in free-ranging wild animals. However, the difficulty in obtaining a sufficient number of suitable serum samples is a major problem. To resolve this problem, we investigated the possibility of using lung-tissue extract in place of blood serum for searching for antibodies against Brucella abortus. Antibodies titres against B. abortus was tested from blood serum and lung-tissue extract from 112 chamois and 99 cattle. Although in complement-fixation-test, lung-tissue extract titres usually were one-to three-fold lower than serum titres, there was a good agreement between serum and lung-tissue extract positivity both in chamois and in cattle. The lung-tissue extract appears a suitable resource in monitoring brucellosis in chamois.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / analysis
  • Biopsy / veterinary
  • Brucella abortus / immunology
  • Brucella abortus / pathogenicity*
  • Brucellosis / diagnosis
  • Brucellosis / veterinary*
  • Lung / microbiology
  • Sheep / microbiology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial