Complement fixing and agglutinating antibody responses and leptospiruria in calves inoculated with Leptospira serotypes pomona, hardjo, copenhageni or ballum

Authors: Hodges RT, Ris DR
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 22, Issue 3, pp 25-30, Mar 1974
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

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

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Abstract: Infection of cattle with various serotypes of Leptospira may result in a variety of clinical signs, including haemoglobinuria, abortions, stillbirths or atypical mastitis. In many instances, however, a mild infection occurs in which clinical signs are not observed. In these cases diagnosis is based on serological evidence. The microscopic agglutination test (M.A.T.) is the standard serological procedure for the diagnosis of leptospirosis and is a relatively serotype-specific test (WHO, 1967). However, agglutinating antibody often persists for many months after an infection (Robertson and Boulanger, 1963) and may still be present in high titre after the animal has recovered and is no longer shedding leptospirae in its urine (Boulanger et al 1958). In contrast, complement fixing (C.F.) antibody is detectable for a shorter period of time (Boulanger et al 1958; Palit and Sharma, 1971). It has also been demonstrated that, in many cases of leptospirosis, urinary shedding of the organisms is of limited duration. It is not yet clear whether any relationship exists between the period of letospiruria and the presence of C.F. antibodies. The purpose therefore of the present investigation was to compare the agglutinating and C.F. antibody responses with the period of leptospiruria in four groups of calves, each group experimentally infected with a different serotype of Leptospira.

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