A rapid assay for detecting antibody against leucocytozoonosis in chickens with a latex agglutination test using recombinant R7 antigen.

A method for detecting antibody against leucocytozoonosis in chickens by latex agglutination (LA) was developed using latex beads coated with recombinant R7 (rR7), an outer membrane antigen of second-generation schizonts of Leucocytozoon caulleryi. Compared with the agar gel precipitation test, which is widely used in Japan, LA could detect antibody induced by L. caulleryi infection with greater sensitivity. No agglutination was detected with sera from specific pathogen free or layer chickens that had not been vaccinated with oil-adjuvanted rR7 antigen, or infected with L. caulleryi, nor with sera from chickens inoculated with other pathogens, establishing the specificity of the assay. The LA test was also able to be used to quantify serum antibody induced by vaccination, which is not possible with the agar gel precipitation test. This study has shown that LA using the rR7 antigen is a simple, quick, and useful method for detecting antibody against L. caulleryi.