The failure of genus-specific serological tests to detect leptospirosis in cattle and rabbits

Authors: Ris DR
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 23, Issue 8, pp 164-166, Aug 1975
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Rabbit, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Bacterial, Clinical pathology, Diagnostic procedures, Zoonosis, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Public health
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: In New Zealand, leptospirosis of cattle is an important zoonosis. Human leptospirosis, one ot the most common of the notifiable diseases (Christmas et al 1974) is almost exclusively a disease of dairy farmers. Clinical signs of bovine Leptospira infections are frequently not observed (Sullivan, 1974). Consequently, serological tests are often used to detect leptospirosis in cattle. The microscopic agglutination (MA) test is fairly serotype specific, but it is tedious to perform and requires potentially hazardous living cultures. The complement fixation (CF) test is less serotype-specific, uses killed organisms, and may be a better indicator of recent infection (Hodges and Ris, 1974). Both tests require a varieity of serotypes to identify those causing the infection…

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