[Comparison of the suitability of phase-contrast and immunofluorescence technics in the laboratory diagnosis of porcine dysentery].

Immunofluorescence technique, compared with the method of phase contrast, does not appear to be better for laboratory diagnostics of swine dysentery because neither of these methods can be used for distinguishing between pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of treponemas. The number of treponemas contained in faeces should still be considered to be the main criterion in laboratory diagnostics. In clinically healthy pigs from stocks which never suffered from dysentery treponemas were found only in few cases and always in small numbers. The numbers of treponemas contained in the faeces of dysenteric pigs were several times higher. Antigenic relationship of one nonpathogenic and three pathogenic strains of Treponema hyodysenteriae was proved by the agglutination and fluoresence methods.