title: A serological survey to determine the prevalence of infection with Treponema hyodysenteriae in Western Australia.
abstract: A serological survey to detect antibody titres against Treponema hyodysenteriae was conducted on pigs from 106 herds in Western Australia. Titres indicating a positive result in the tests were determined by examining 400 sera from 4 herds known to be free of swine dysentery, and sera from immunised or experimentally infected pigs. Samples of serum from 40 bacon-weight pigs from each of the 106 herds were then collected at 2 abattoirs. Each serum was tested in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) against the lipopolysaccharide of T hyodysenteriae of serogroups A, B and E, respectively. To assist in evaluating the test, 19 herds were resampled and retested, and faecal samples from 17 herds were cultured for T hyodysenteriae. Thirty-five of the 106 herds (33%) had serological evidence of infection when only one batch of sera from each herd was tested. The ELISA to detect T hyodysenteriae infection in herds using 40 sera was estimated as having a sensitivity of 77.3% and a specificity of 81.8% based on the owners' opinion of their herds disease status. Prevalence of infection within herds ranged from 2.5% to 47.5%, with a mean of 18%.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Mhoma
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hampson
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D004403:Dysentery / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014208:Treponema / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014211:Treponemal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial