Monitoring antibodies to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in sow colostrum--a tool to document freedom of infection.
In a survey in Finland in 1995, 14,919 colostral whey samples from 530 farrowing herds were analysed by a monoclonal blocking-ELISA to detect antibodies to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae). Antibodies were detected in 274 (1.8%) samples and in 42 herds (7.9%). The median prevalence of sows with antibodies in seropositive herds was 28.2% (range, 2.7-100%). According to clinical and pathological follow-up in finishing herds in 1996, all of the farrowing herds which were seronegative in 1995, were truly non-infected with M. hyopneumoniae. In acutely infected herds, samples collected earlier than 2 h after farrowing were 3 times more likely to contain antibodies than samples collected 2-12 h after farrowing (odds ratio, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4-6.6). Repeated freezing or spoilage of the colostrum samples did not cause biologically relevant problems for the ELISA. Antibodies to M. hyopneumoniae were shown to persist up to 3 years in some sows. As a conclusion, colostrum samples were very sensitive samples for the screening of herds for M. hyopneumoniae infection and possibly also for a regular surveillance.
Rautiainen
E
E
National Veterinary and Food Research Institute, Regional Laboratory in Seinäjoki, Germany. Eero.Rautiainen@EELA.FI
Tuovinen
V
V
Levonen
K
K
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D010298:Parity; D045729:Pneumonia of Swine, Mycoplasmal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial