Radioimmunoassay for antibodies againstBrucella abortus: a new serological test for bovine brucellosis

Abstract
SUMMARY: A radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been developed to measure antibodies againstBrucella abortusin bovine serum and can be used in the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis. The RIA measures the amount of specific antibody of the IgG1and IgG2subclasses but is insensitive to 1gM, a characteristic which may make it more suitable than the complement fixation test (OFT) or the serum agglutination test for distinguishing infected animals from those which have been vaccinated withBr. abortusstrain 19. The RIA is not subject to prozoning or ambiguous reactions, both of which interfere with the interpretation of the CFT.