Application of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the surveillance of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in pigs.

A monoclonal antibody-based blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for serological surveillance of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in pig herds. A follow-up study was conducted on "herd predictive values" previously reported for this ELISA. Of those herds giving positive results by this ELISA, 42% were subsequently found to be infected, while 100% of herds giving negative results were uninfected. Previous reports recorded positive and negative herd predictive values of 39% and 99.8%, respectively. Among naturally-infected animals, reaction in colostrum was more frequent than in serum, and this difference was most pronounced if the colostrum samples were obtained shortly before or after farrowing. Coughing was found to be the most reliable clinical indicator of infection, but surveillance through clinical herd inspections alone failed to detect 30% of infected herds. The time required for seroconversion following natural exposure to M. hyopneumoniae differed in two herds using different management systems: in one herd antibodies were first detected three weeks post-exposure, while in the other herd antibodies were not detected until five weeks after exposure.