Evaluation of a babesiosis card agglutination test : a thesis /
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[College Station, Tex.] :
[Texas A&M University],
[1976]
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| Subjects: |
| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: A babesiosis card agglutination test (BCT) was evaluated as a means of detecting specific antibodies in cattle infected with Babesia bigemina. The agglutinating antigen was prepared from the blood of a splenectomized calf having a 58% B bigemina parasitemia. Two methods of antigen preparation were evaluated, one using a pure B bigemina parasite suspension and the other a crude suspension of B bigemina parasites and parasite particles with erythocytic stroma. The following methods of antigen preservation were evaluated: (1) dilution with phosphate buffered physiologic saline solution (PBS), (2) addition of 0.05% phenol, (3) addition of 0.01% thimerosal, (4) addition of penicillin and streptomycin, (5) dilution with Walpole's acetate buffer containing 0.1% methyl-P-hydoroxybenzoate, (6) lyophilization, and (7) freezing. In order to determine suitability for testing, fresh and frozen serum and serum that had remained with the clot for 48 hours and plasma containing sodium citrate, ammonium heparin, and dipotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as anticoagulants were evaluated. The BCT was performed on serums and plasma collected from animals experimentally infected with B bigemina, Babesia argentina, and Anaplasma marginale. Using serum and plasma samples collected from 299 cattle from 4 different ecological areas of Colombia, the BCT was compared to 2 other serological tests, the complement-fixation (CF) test and the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The BCT, using the crude antigen suspension preserved with either the addition of penicillin and streptomycin or dilution with PBS, compared favorably with the IFA test under both laboratory conditions using serums and field conditions using plasma collected with sodium citrate as the anticoagulant. Significant differences were detected when the BCT was compared to the CF test. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major subject: Veterinary Microbiology." "Submitted to the Graduate College of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science December 1976". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 38 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-37). |