Resumen

BARRERA, Maritza et al. APPLICATION OF THE HEMOAGGLUTINATION TEST IN FAECES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF BOVINE WINTER DYSENTERY. Rev Salud Anim. [online]. 2008, vol.30, n.3, pp.172-179. ISSN 0253-570X.

Winter dysentery is a highly contagious acute infectious disease in bovine, which is produced by bovine coronavirus (BCoV). It is characterized by the production of epizootic diarrheas and the dramatic diminution of milk production in milking cows. After being diagnosed for the first time in the country, it was needed to develop a simple and cheap technique for analysing a great number of samples. A specific antiserum was obtained, and the test based on the erythrocyte of hamster agglutination was standardized in order to detect the presence of the virus in faeces of diseased bovines and their further identification by means of the inhibition of hemagglutination using the antiserum obtained. The test was specific and it was able to detect 5,4 TCID₅₀/mL of virus on fecal extracts. The diagnosis specificity was of 96,15%, whereas sensitivity 79,13%. During the active diagnosis conducted in the control program of the disease, the technique was applied to 480 samples coming from 38 farms under suspicion and it allowed the confirmation of the clinic-epizootiologic diagnosis of the diseased herd in 36 farms.

Palabras clave : bovine winter dysentery; bovine coronavirus; hemagglutination test; diagnose.