Differentiation of the serological response to Yersinia enterocolitica and Brucella abortus in cattle

Abstract

SUMMARYThe serological responses of cattle to inoculation with Brucella abortus and Yersinia enterocolitica type IX were compared. Complete cross-reactions were found in serum agglutination, antiglobulin, complement fixation and Rose Bengal plate tests. The cross-reaction between Br. abortus and Y. enterocolitica IX was confirmed by immunodiffusion tests. Although antibodies specific for each organism could also be detected by immunodiffusion tests with high titre rabbit or bovine sera, these tests were insufficiently sensitive for routine diagnostic use.A quantitative Rose Bengal plate test, using Rose Bengal stained Br. abortus and Y. enterocolitica IX, was developed which enabled the antibody responses to the two organisms to be differentiated. The specificity of this test was confirmed by cross-absorption experiments and its sensitivity was sufficient to permit evaluation of all bovine sera giving positive reactions to the serum agglutination test.

Vibriocidal antibodies induced byYersinia enterocoliticaserotype IX

“…Cross-reactivity between Vibrio cholerae and Brucella species is widely known (Eisele, McCullough, Beal & Burrows, 1946;Gallut, 1950;Mathur, 1960) and has recently been again emphasized by Feeley (1969) and Gangarosa, DeWitt, Feeley & Adams (1970), who found other instances of the presence of vibriocidal antibody in human sera in the absence of exposure to cholera infection. Corbel & Cullen (1970) Immune sera against V. cholerae Ogawa and Inaba were prepared in rabbits (four for each serotype) by injecting live saline suspensions from a 7 hr.-old growth (at 370 C.) on heart infusion agar containing about 2 x 109 organisms per ml. Each of the rabbits received three intravenous injections, 5 days apart, of 0-25, 0.5, and 0-5 ml.…”

Differentation ofBrucella abortusandYersinia enterocoliticaserotype 09 infections in cattle: The use of specific lymphocyte transformation and brucellin skin tests

“…Cpm = mean counts per minute of triplicate cultures (control), without specific antigen or mitogen. (15,29), the organism appears to be non-pathogenic for bovines (6). As of now, there is no evidence that Br.…”

“…Because of these common antigenic determinants, it is apparent that any serological test employing Brucella antigen containing Brucella lipopolysaccharide would be unsuitable for differentiating brucellosis from yersiniosis. Realising the full implications these cross-reactions would have the serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, many investigators (6,26,27) have attempted to develop methods of differentiating the two infections. A review of these differentiating assays by Mittal and Tizard (28) indicated clearly that none of them is fully satisfactory.…”

“…Corbel and Cullen (6) and Jaartsveld and Van Kuringen (20) demonstrated cross-reaction between the sera from cattle experimentally infected with Y. enterocolitica 09 and Br. abortus antigen.…”

The Use of Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis in Taxonomy of Brucella

“…Yersinia enterocolitica ZX shows complete cross-agglutination with Brucella and tests with monospecific antiserum have shown that the cross-reacting antigen of Y. enterocolitica ZX contains determinants of similar specificity to the A determinants of B. abortus (Corbel & Cullen, 1970). Yersinia enterocolitica NCTC 10461 does not cross-react serologically with Brucella.…”