Serological and bacteriological survey of three horse studs for contagious equine metritis.

This research article discusses a survey on contagious equine metritis (CEM), a bacterial infection in horses, performed on three horse studs in South Australia with past records of infection. The survey utilized two tests, the complement fixation test (CFT) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with the latter proving more sensitive in detecting antibodies in infected mares.

Article Exploration

• The focus of the article is a comprehensive examination of three horse studs in South Australia for signs of contagious equine metritis (CEM), a bacterial infection that affects horses, particularly taking place during the breeding season of 1980. The study was performed in an area known to have a history of the infection.
• The survey involved both bacteriological and serological examination methods. Bacteriological methods involve culturing swabs from the clitoral sinus and cervix of mares for Haemophilus equigenitalis, the bacterium responsible for CEM. Serological methods, on the other hand, involves screening serum for antibodies, an indicator of CEM infection.

Utilized Techniques

• The authors used two types of serological tests in this study: the complement fixation test (CFT) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Both tests have a high specificity rate, greater than 0.99, which indicates their ability to correctly identify uninfected animals.
• In comparing the two, the study found that the ELISA was more sensitive in detecting antibodies in infected mares. This means that the ELISA could more accurately identify infected animals than the CFT.

Conclusions

• Based on the results of the study, the researchers concluded that the bacterium Haemophilus equigenitalis, which causes CEM, was no longer present in the horse studs that were investigated.
• This conclusion suggests that the horse studs in question are now free from the specific bacterial infection, which would have implications for breeding practices and strategies to prevent infectious diseases in these studs.