Vibriosis: demonstration of Vibrio fetus and Vibrio bubulus organisms in preputial fluid by immunofluorescence and cultural techniques.

Fluorescent conjugates were prepared from the sera of calves immunized with four Vibrio fetus strains and one Vibrio bubulus strain. The fluorescent antibody technique (FAT) was then used to detect vibrio organisms in preputial fluid collected from 67 bulls belonging to a Canadian artificial insemination (AI) unit. The V. fetus conjugates reacted with both V. fetus var venerealis and V. fetus var intestinalis. V. fetus was found in 20 animals (29.9%), 13 of which also harboured V. bubulus. In two cases, the FAT failed to detect V. fetus which was isolated by concurrent bacteriological examinations. It was concluded that the FAT can be a rapid method of detecting some carrier bulls but more reliable results are obtained when a combination of FAT and bacteriological methods is employed. It was found that a single sample giving negative results is inconclusive and additional tests are required before making a final diagnosis. The FAT can also be used to differentiate V. fetus isolates from V. bubulus.