Bovine leptospirosis: the detection of haemolysin inhibitors in sera from experimentally and naturally infected cattle

Authors: Hodges RT
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 22, Issue 12, pp 239-242, Dec 1974
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

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

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Abstract: Strains of some serotypes of Leptospira produce haemolysins with strong affinities for ruminant erythrocytes. The haemolysins are heat-labile, effective against erythrocytes after relatively long periods of incubation, and generally concentrated in extracellular culture fluids (Russell, 1956; Alexander et al 1956; Valemine et al 1964). Russell (1956) reported that sera of rabbits immunized with a haemolysin producing strain of serotype pomona contained, in addition to agglutinins, inhibitors which neutralized the effects of the haemolysin. No corresponding studies in cattle appear to have been reported. This paper describes attempts to detect haemolysin inhibitors in the sera of cattle experimentally or naturally infected with leptospirae of serotvnes pomona, hardjo, copenhageni, or ballum, each of which has been implicated in bovine leptospirosis in New Zealand.

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