A 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination test for diagnosis of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs.

A 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) tube agglutination (TA) test has been developed as an alternative to the complement fixation (CF) test for the detection of antibodies to Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae, a causative agent of pleuropneumonia in pigs. Using sera from experimentally infected pigs, herds with confirmed H pleuropneumoniae infection, and from disease-free pigs, the specificity and the sensitivity of the 2-ME-TA test were investigated and results were compared with those obtained using the CF test. The TA test without 2-ME gave 100% nonspecific reaction. The 2-ME-TA test was highly specific and more sensitive than was the CF test. Seemingly, the 2-ME-TA test can be used to monitor herds for H pleuropneumoniae antibodies instead of the CF test because it was easier to perform. Test procedures for a presumptive herd diagnosis of H pleuropneumoniae have been proposed.