Use of an ELISA test in the eradication of an equine infectious anaemia focus.

An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test and the classic agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test were used as diagnostic methods in the eradication of a focus of equine infectious anaemia from a herd of 86 horses. The ELISA test proved to be more sensitive, detecting positive animals earlier than the AGID test. A group of 16 animals positive only by ELISA also became positive to the AGID when retested one month later, except for 2 animals which showed clinical signs of the disease and died before retesting.