Comparisons of the complement-fixation and indirect fluorescent antibody reactions in the detection of bovine babesiasis.

Complement-fixation (CF) and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) antigens were prepared from Babesia bigemina isolates obtained in Texas. These serologic procedures were evaluated on 130 serum samples sequentially collected from 5 B bigemina-infected mature cattle, beginning on the day of exposure and continuing for 175 day thereafter. Both tests were effective in detecting specific antibodies for the first 84 days of infection, with 57 of 60 (95%) serums tested being positive on the CF test and 57 of 57 (100%) tests being positive to the IFA test. During the interval from 98 to 175 days, 24 of 60 (40%) of the serums tested were positive with the CF test, and 53 of 56 (95%) were positive with the IFA test. During the first 84 days, a similar linear regression occurred in both CF and IFA serum titers, but after 98 days the IFA regression flattened out, whereas the CF titers decreased below the sensitivity threshold in 60% of the serums tested.