Mycoplasmas: Use of Polyvalent Antisera for Identification by Indirect Immunofluorescence

Abstract

It would be an advantage, under many circumstances, to be able to make use of polyvalent antisera in the process of identifying mycoplasmas. As the indirect immunofluorescence test is sufficiently sensitive and also generally accepted as being rather specific, this technique was chosen to investigate whether polyvalent antisera are applicable in routine identification of mycoplasmas. Three polyvalent sera were used, each consisting of 9 or 10 rabbit antisera raised against 29 of the more common species of the genus Mycoplasma. Twenty-six field strains were examined. One strain did not react with any of the 3 polyvalent antisera although it was later identified as M. bovigenitalium. The remaining 25 strains reacted with 1 and only 1 of the polyvalent antisera and were subsequently identified by immunofluorescence utilizing monospecific antisera. Strains of the following species were identified: M. arginini, M. bovigenitalium, M. bovis, M. bovoculi, M. canis, M. capricolum, M. cynos, M. edwardii, M. hominis, M. hyorhinis, M. molare, M. mycoides subsp. mycoides and M. opalescens. It is concluded that polyvalent antisera may be used in identification procedures and thereby permit the use of a limited number of monospecific antisera without preceding biochemical testing.

Sammendrag

Det ville i mange tilfselde være en fordel at kunne anvende polyvalente antisera som led i identifikationen af mykoplasmer. I nær- værende arbejde refereres en undersøgelse af, hvorvidt sädanne sera er anvendelige til indirekte immunofluorescens. Tre polyvalente sera blev fremstillet, hver bestäende af 9 eller 10 kaninantisera, repræsen- terende 29 forskellige arter af Genus Mycoplasma. Der undersøgtes 26 vilde stammer. Een af disse reagerede ikke med nogen af de 3 polyvalente sera, endskønt den senere diagnosticeredes som M. bovigeni- talium. De resterende 25 stammer reagerede med en og kun en af de polyvalente sera og kunne derefter diagnosticeres ved hjælp af de monovalente antisera. Stammer tilhørende følgende arter identifice- redes: M. arginini, M. bovigenitalium, M. bovis, M. bovoculi, M. canis, M. capricolum, M. cynos, M. edwardii, M. hominis, M. hyorhinis, M. molare, M. mycoides subsp. mycoides og M. opalescens. Det konklu- deres, at polyvalente antisera er brugbare og kan muliggøre anvendelse af et begrænset antal monospecifikke sera uden forudgående biokemiske undersøgelser.