The improved specificity of bovine brucellosis testing in Great Britain

The brucellosis surveillance scheme in Great Britain includes the serological testing of approximately 1 million bovine samples per year. These are screened by iELISA, positives going forward for confirmatory testing by CFT and SAT. Samples positive by confirmatory testing prompt substantial field i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in veterinary science 2008-02, Vol.84 (1), p.38-40
Main Authors: McGiven, J., Hendry, L., Brown, D., Stack, J., Perrett, L., Mawhinney, I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Blocking
Brucella
Brucellosis
Brucellosis, Bovine - diagnosis
Brucellosis, Bovine - epidemiology
Cattle
Dilution
ELISA
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary
Methods
Sensitivity and Specificity
Studies
United Kingdom - epidemiology
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:The brucellosis surveillance scheme in Great Britain includes the serological testing of approximately 1 million bovine samples per year. These are screened by iELISA, positives going forward for confirmatory testing by CFT and SAT. Samples positive by confirmatory testing prompt substantial field investigations and interventions, but the animals involved are usually uninfected. Described below are a series of modifications to the screening method, which have resulted in a 10-fold reduction in false positive results whilst maintaining sensitivity. The key modifications include the introduction of blocking agents, a change in serum test dilution and the introduction of a control that directly defines the positive/negative cut-off. These simple modifications have had a large impact in reducing the cost of the surveillance programme due to reductions in confirmatory test requirements and a knock on effect of reducing costly field intervention.
ISSN:0034-5288
1532-2661
DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2007.03.003