Distribution of Lactococcus spp. in New York State dairy farms and the association of somatic cell count resolution and bacteriological cure in clinical mastitis samples.

We investigated the distribution of pathogenic non-agalactiae gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci (GPCN) in a convenience sample of New York State dairy farms. Our primary objective with the clinical mastitis (CM) GPCN samples was to evaluate somatic cell count (SCC) resolution and bacteriological cure of Streptococcus dysgalactiae or Streptococcus uberis versus Lactococcus lactis or Lactococcus garvieae in cows that received an approved intramammary treatment. In phase I, we assessed the distribution of the GPCN and SCC resolution. In phase II, we evaluated the SCC resolution and bacteriological cure in CM samples from the 4 farms with the highest prevalence of L. lactis or L. garvieae in phase I. In phase I, 8,868 CM and subclinical mastitis (SCM) milk samples were received from 143 farms. The GPCN samples identified by culture were confirmed with MALDI-TOF. From the 473 MALDI-TOF-confirmed GPCN samples, 155 were S. dysgalactiae (33%); 150, S. uberis (32%); 112, L. lactis (24%); 16, L. garvieae (3%); and 40, other GPCN (8%). From these, 277 were CM samples and 127 were eligible for the evaluation of SCC resolution, which was defined as SCC ≤200,000 cells/mL in a composite sample 15 to 60 d post-diagnosis. The odds of SCC resolution in CM samples was evaluated with multivariable logistic regression, and the odds were 6.1 [95% confidence interval (CI):2.7-13.9] times higher for S. dysgalactiae or S. uberis compared with L. lactis or L. garvieae. In phase II, a total of 1,662 CM and SCM samples were evaluated with microbiological methods as in phase I, of which 211 samples were confirmed by MALDI-TOF: 39% were S. dysgalactiae (n = 61) and S. uberis (n = 21); 55%, L. lactis (n = 114) and L. garvieae (n = 2); and 6%, other GPCN (n = 13). In total, 168 CM samples were eligible for analysis and 118 were included in the final SCC resolution model. Similar statistical methods as in phase I were performed, and the odds of SCC resolution were 2.4 (95% CI: 1.1-5.5) times higher for S. dysgalactiae or S. uberis compared with L. lactis or L. garvieae. Bacteriological cure was defined as having a different or negative culture on a quarter sample taken 14 to 28 d after initial diagnosis. The odds of bacteriological cure (n = 121) were 8.0 (95% CI: 2.5-25.6) times higher for S. dysgalactiae or S. uberis compared with L. lactis or L. garvieae. Differences in SCC resolution and bacteriological cure between these groups may dictate a different management approach.

Capacity of passively administered antibody to prevent establishment of Brucella abortus infection in mice.

In contrast to immunity against some other facultative intracellular parasites, protective immunity against Brucella abortus is mediated in mice by antibodies as well as by cell-mediated immune responses. It was the purpose of this study to determine whether antibody alone would prevent infection with B. abortus. The majority (82%) of CD-1 outbred mice infected with 100 CFU of virulent B. abortus 2308 preincubated with graded quantities of an O polysaccharide-specific IgG2a monoclonal antibody (MAb) were free of infection 1. 2, 4, and 6 weeks later, based on detection limits of 13 brucellae per spleen and 39 per liver. Infection was present in 95% of control animals. Similar results were obtained with a challenge dose of 500 CFU, but with a challenge dose of 5,000 CFU, infection became established even with the highest concentration of MAb used (50 micrograms of MAb per 5,000 brucellae). Pretreatment with an O polysaccharide-specific IgG1 MAb or with convalescent-phase serum diminished but did not prevent establishment of infection by 100 CFU of B. abortus. A majority of culture-negative mice tested 6 weeks after infection were serologically negative, which could have signified either the absence of previous infection or the early elimination of infection. In an in vitro test system, all of the antibody preparations were efficient in opsonizing B. abortus. Effective killing of the organism by unelicited mouse peritoneal macrophages occurred in conventional but not in endotoxin-free medium, suggesting that activated macrophages were required for killing of opsonized B. abortus. These results emphasize the potential importance of antibodies in the immunoprophylaxis of brucellosis and suggest that the design of a successful vaccine will require the induction of antibodies not only of appropriate specificity but also of the optimal isotype for mediating protective functions.

Effect of bovine non-agglutinating antibodies on the blood clearance of 131I-labelled Brucella abortus strain 45/20.

Non-agglutinating anti-Brucella abortus S45/20 antibodies were isolated and purified from sera of immunized cattle by means of immunoadsorption and ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sephadex A-50). They corresponded to the IgG1 isotype as shown by immunoelectrophoresis using monospecific anti-IgG1 and anti-bovine gamma globulin sera. These antibodies failed to agglutinate the antigen. They were detected by the anti-bovine gamma globulin test, showing higher titres than those of agglutinating antibodies during the whole period of the experiment. Blood clearance of 131I-S45/20 in mice, was slower in those groups which had received non-agglutinating antibodies than in the control group.

Kinetic analysis of cattle anti-Brucella abortus S45/20 non-agglutinating antibodies in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Calves inoculated with Brucella abortus S45/20 produced, against surface antigens, non-agglutinating antibodies (NAAb) which were isolated and purified. A kinetic analysis was carried out of NAAb in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) using sheep red blood cells labelled with surface antigen from B. abortus S45/20 as target cells. Three parameters were examined: time of incubation, effector cell:target cell (E:T) ratio and NAAb dose. It was found that the NAAb were not able to mediate ADCC with bovine spleen cells.

Tears and aqueous humor from horses inoculated with Leptospira contain antibodies which bind to cornea.

An antigenic relationship between Leptospira interrogans and equine cornea was previously described by us. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed in the present work to investigate the existence of anti-leptospira and anti-cornea antibodies in tears, aqueous humor and serum from horses inoculated i.m. with those antigens. Ten days after a booster by the same route, antibodies that bind to microtiter plates, coated with an homogenate of either equine cornea or leptospira, were detected in those fluids and in the sera. At the same time, the corneas of the horses began to develop a diffuse opacity. This finding of anti-leptospira antibodies in equine tears and aqueous humor shows the pathway along which they arrive at the cornea and bind to it.

Detection of antigenic fractions from Brucella abortus S45/20 which bind to non-agglutinating antibodies using electroblotting and enzyme-linked antibody probes.

Outer membrane antigens which bind to non-agglutinating antibodies (NAAb) elicited by smooth (S19) and rough (S45/20) Brucella abortus strains, were extracted from S45/20 by stirring in cold 2.5% NaCl and then analyzed by SDS-PAGE, electroblotting and enzyme-linked antibody test. Eight bands were observed in the gel stained with Coomassie blue. Seven antigenic fractions were transferred to nitrocellulose by blotting. A 27-kd band was recognized by bovine anti-S45/20 non-agglutinating serum and not by purified NAAb against surface antigens. Bands 10 kd and 14.3 kd bound to bovine anti-S45/20 NAAb from calves immunized with either S19 or S45/20. A 12.0-kd band was recognized by the serum and NAAb from calves immunized with S45/20 but not by those injected with S19. There are thus antigenic fractions shared by S19 and S45/20 which bind in vitro to NAAb.

Experimental demonstration of an antigenic relationship between Leptospira and equine cornea.

Horses inoculated with either equine cornea or killed Leptospira interrogans serovars pomona, tarassovi, icterohaemorrhagiae, wolffi and hardjo, developed corneal opacity and produced antibodies which made it possible to demonstrate partial antigenic identity between equine cornea and four of those serovars employed. These antibodies were isolated by means of immunoadsorptions, purified by ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sephadex A-50) and run by immuno-electrophoresis in agar gel. Both antibodies, anti-equine cornea and anti-leptospira, showed that they corresponded to the IgGb subclass. They bound themselves to equine cornea in vivo and in vitro as was proved by immunofluorescence. This antigenic relationship may be in part responsible for pathogenesis of corneal opacity in leptospirosis of horses.

[Detection in bovine serum of non-agglutinating antibodies directed against occult antigens of Brucella abortus strain 19]. / Detección en suero bovino de anticuerpos no aglutinantes dirigidos hacia antígenos ocultos de Brucella abortus cepa 19.

Injection of different animal species with particulate T-dependent antigens induces the appearance of two antibody populations belonging to IgG class, one of them with agglutinating activity and the other lacking this capacity, that is, non-agglutinating. In this paper, 3 adult female Hereford were inoculated subcutaneously, fortnightly, four times, with 5 x 10(10) heat killed smooth S19 Brucella abortus cells. Blood samples were taken ten days after the last inoculation and were individually processed. Serum agglutinating titres against the homologous antigen and the Coombs test score were similar, indicating that nonagglutinating antibody titres directed against surface antigens of the smooth phase were not significant (Table 1). When sera were incubated with a suspension of Brucella abortus S45/20 (a rough strain) they showed poor agglutinating ability, but they contained non-agglutinating activity at high level, as determined by the anti-gamma-globulin test (Table 1). Similar results were obtained when the same sera were adsorbed with Brucella abortus S19 up to elimination of the antibodies directed against surface antigens, and then incubated with a suspension of strain 45/20 (Table 1). These antibodies were isolated from sera by immunoadsorption, using a thick suspension of S45/20 and then dissociated with glycine-CHl buffer 0.1M pH 3. These antibodies showed little agglutinating capacity for S45/20; however non-agglutinating antibodies were bound to the bacteria up to 1.5 micrograms g as demonstrated by Coombs test. Apart from the incomplete antibodies against external antigens of smooth Brucella abortus strains detected in long-term stimulated cattle, non-agglutinating antibodies with specificity for deeper antigens of the smooth bacteria were evidenced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Detección suero bovino de anticuerpos no aglutinantes dirigidos hacia antígenos acultos de Brucella abortus cepa 19 / Detection in bovine serun of non-agglutinating antibodies to occult antigenos of Brucella abortus strain 19

Bovinos hembras de raza Hereford, inoculados con Brucella obortus cepa 19 en fase lisa, elaboraron anticuerpos no aglutinantes que se unieron específicamente a la cepa rugosa 45/20. Los sueros de estos animales, adsorbidos con B. abortus cepa 19 hasta eliminación de los anticuerpos dirigidos contra antígenos de superfície de la cepa lisa, mostraron contener una población no aglutinante de anticuerpos que se unieron a la cepa rugosa 45/20, siendo detectados mediante reacción de Cooms hasta un límite de 1,5 ug. Al margens de los anticuerpos incompletos producidos hacia antígenos externos de cepas lisas de B. abortus, se pone en evidencia este tipo de anticuerpos, con especificidad por antígenos más profundos que también estarían presentes en la superficie de la cepa rugosa. Estos anticuerpos, cuya participación en la depuración sanguínea y degradación del agente etiológico de la brucelosis bovina sería poco significativa, están siendo estudiados minuciosamente con el objeto de establecer la importancia que pudieran tener en el diagnóstico y pronóstico de brucelosis (AU)

Detección en suero bovino de anticuerpos no aglutinantes dirigidos hacia antígenos ocultos de Brucella abortus cepa 19. / [Detection in bovine serum of non-agglutinating antibodies directed against occult antigens of Brucella abortus strain 19]

Injection of different animal species with particulate T-dependent antigens induces the appearance of two antibody populations belonging to IgG class, one of them with agglutinating activity and the other lacking this capacity, that is, non-agglutinating. In this paper, 3 adult female Hereford were inoculated subcutaneously, fortnightly, four times, with 5 x 10(10) heat killed smooth S19 Brucella abortus cells. Blood samples were taken ten days after the last inoculation and were individually processed. Serum agglutinating titres against the homologous antigen and the Coombs test score were similar, indicating that nonagglutinating antibody titres directed against surface antigens of the smooth phase were not significant (Table 1). When sera were incubated with a suspension of Brucella abortus S45/20 (a rough strain) they showed poor agglutinating ability, but they contained non-agglutinating activity at high level, as determined by the anti-gamma-globulin test (Table 1). Similar results were obtained when the same sera were adsorbed with Brucella abortus S19 up to elimination of the antibodies directed against surface antigens, and then incubated with a suspension of strain 45/20 (Table 1). These antibodies were isolated from sera by immunoadsorption, using a thick suspension of S45/20 and then dissociated with glycine-CHl buffer 0.1M pH 3. These antibodies showed little agglutinating capacity for S45/20; however non-agglutinating antibodies were bound to the bacteria up to 1.5 micrograms g as demonstrated by Coombs test. Apart from the incomplete antibodies against external antigens of smooth Brucella abortus strains detected in long-term stimulated cattle, non-agglutinating antibodies with specificity for deeper antigens of the smooth bacteria were evidenced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Detección suero bovino de anticuerpos no aglutinantes dirigidos hacia antígenos acultos de Brucella abortus cepa 19 / Detection in bovine serun of non-agglutinating antibodies to occult antigenos of Brucella abortus strain 19

Bovinos hembras de raza Hereford, inoculados con Brucella obortus cepa 19 en fase lisa, elaboraron anticuerpos no aglutinantes que se unieron específicamente a la cepa rugosa 45/20. Los sueros de estos animales, adsorbidos con B. abortus cepa 19 hasta eliminación de los anticuerpos dirigidos contra antígenos de superfície de la cepa lisa, mostraron contener una población no aglutinante de anticuerpos que se unieron a la cepa rugosa 45/20, siendo detectados mediante reacción de Cooms hasta un límite de 1,5 ug. Al margens de los anticuerpos incompletos producidos hacia antígenos externos de cepas lisas de B. abortus, se pone en evidencia este tipo de anticuerpos, con especificidad por antígenos más profundos que también estarían presentes en la superficie de la cepa rugosa. Estos anticuerpos, cuya participación en la depuración sanguínea y degradación del agente etiológico de la brucelosis bovina sería poco significativa, están siendo estudiados minuciosamente con el objeto de establecer la importancia que pudieran tener en el diagnóstico y pronóstico de brucelosis