Response of the badger (Meles meles) to infection with Brucella abortus.

Three badgers exposed to conjunctival instillation of Brucella abortus strain 544 developed a mild subclinical infection accompanied by the production of agglutinating and complement fixing antibodies. Six months after inoculation, the infection could not be detected in one badger and was confined to lymphoid tissue in the other two. No cell mediated immune response to B abortus antigens could be detected by in vitro lymphocyte transformation tests or intradermal tests for delayed hypersensitivity during the observation period.