Serodiagnosis of ram epididymitis by counterimmunoelectrophoresis, using Brucella ovis surface R antigen.

The counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) technique was developed as a diagnostic procedure for ram epididymitis caused by Brucella ovis. CIE test results with sera from naturally and experimentally infected male sheep compared favorably with those obtained by gel diffusion and complement fixation employing the same B. ovis surface R antigen. The main advantage of CIE over gel diffusion consists in a significant reduction of the time required to detect precipitin formation, whereas both methods obviate several of the difficulties encountered with complement fixation tests for B. ovis.