title: A 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination test for diagnosis of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs.
abstract: A 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) tube agglutination (TA) test has been developed as an alternative to the complement fixation (CF) test for the detection of antibodies to Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae, a causative agent of pleuropneumonia in pigs. Using sera from experimentally infected pigs, herds with confirmed H pleuropneumoniae infection, and from disease-free pigs, the specificity and the sensitivity of the 2-ME-TA test were investigated and results were compared with those obtained using the CF test. The TA test without 2-ME gave 100% nonspecific reaction. The 2-ME-TA test was highly specific and more sensitive than was the CF test. Seemingly, the 2-ME-TA test can be used to monitor herds for H pleuropneumoniae antibodies instead of the CF test because it was easier to perform. Test procedures for a presumptive herd diagnosis of H pleuropneumoniae have been proposed.
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008623:Mercaptoethanol; D011001:Pleuropneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D012703:Serotyping / Q000662:veterinary; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D008623:Mercaptoethanol