Leukocyte-aggregation assay for transmissible gastroenteritis of swine.

An in vitro leukocyte-aggregation assay was developed to detect the exposure of swine to transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Leukocytes in heparinized blood samples aggregated when mixed with test antigen prepared from transmissible gastroenteritis-infected swine testicle cell cultures. Twenty-two of 23 swine exposed 3 days or more were positive or suspects in the assay; 6 nonexposed swine were negative. Aggregation was shown as early as 3 days postexposure in 1 sow and persisted for as long as 14 months in another. Persistence of the assay was proved by repeated evaluations on 2 experimentally exposed swine.