Measurement of serum antibody in swine vaccinated with Bordetella bronchiseptica: comparison of agglutination and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods.

The immune responses of 514 pigs from 5 swine breeds (Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Yorkshire) to vaccination with Bordetella bronchiseptica were measured by agglutination and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Both assays showed higher antibody levels in sera of pigs after vaccination than in sera of the pigs before vaccination. The variability of the responses among breeds was greater for the agglutination method than for the ELISA method. The ELISA proved to be more sensitive than the agglutination method and could detect antibody in serum samples diluted at least 100-fold more than those used in the agglutination procedure. The correlation of antibody titers obtained by the 2 methods was small, but statistically (P less than 0.01) significant. The ELISA should be useful for determinations of antibody responses of swine to B bronchiseptica.