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A whey complement fixation test. Its relation to whey agglutination and isolation of Brucella abortus from the milk of individual cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

I. D. Farrell
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, Preston
L. Robertson
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, Preston
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Two hundred and ninety-three milk ring test-positive individual milk samples were examined by whey complement fixation and agglutination tests and the results were compared with the isolation of B. abortus by cultures made from the milk.

There was a closer correlation between whey CF tests and isolation of the organism than between whey AG tests and isolation. Brucella organisms were not isolated from 116 MRT-positive milk samples when the whey CF titre was < 1/10; whereas 9/104 (9%) isolations were made from milk when the whey AG titre was < 1/20.

Because of its closer correlation with culture results it is suggested that the whey CF test would be valuable in an eradication programme for the detection of infected udders.

The limitations of the milk ring test for the examination of individual milk samples are emphasized and it should be used only as a preliminary screening test. In the individual milk samples examined, 32% of the MRT-positives showed no evidence of infection by either the whey AG, whey CF, or culture tests.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1968

References

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