[Limulus test--a rapid and simple method for the detection of endotoxins produced by gram-negative bacteria in mastitis milk].

According to the present study the limulus amebocyte lysate test (LAL) seems to be a convenient test to detect endotoxin in milk from udder quarters with and without inflammation. The correlation between endotoxin concentration and the results from the bacteriological investigation of 79 milk samples was good (Table I). Determination of endotoxin in 20 milk samples from cases of acute clinical mastitis with high cell count and a negative bacteriological culture showed that all but one had an endotoxin concentration of greater than 1.0 ng/ml milk (Table II). By using a micromethod of the LAL it is possible to detect cases of mastitis caused by gram-negative bacteria about one hour after the sample has reached the laboratory. In a preliminary field study milk from 13 cases of acute clinical mastitis were tested by a modified limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) test ("cowshed test"). A 100% correlation to bacteriological findings was observed (Table IV). By using the LAL test to detect mastitis cases caused by gram-negative bacteria great economic advantages and less risk for resistance problems can be achieved by using proper antibiotics. This is the fact in Sweden where the frequency of acute clinical mastitis caused by streptococci (100% of strains sensitive for penicillin) and Staphylococcus aureus (about 90% of strains sensitive for penicillin) is high (70-80%) and about 20% are caused by gram-negative bacteria, mostly E. coli.