[Comparison of counterimmunoelectrophoresis with standard serological tests in the diagnosis of ovine brucellosis].

Sera from 30 sheep experimentally infected and from 126 others with chronic brucellosis were comparatively studied by serum agglutination (SA), complement fixation (CF), rose bengal (RB), and counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) test. Standard serological tests, particularly SA and RB, essentially detect antibodies against cell-wall fractions of Brucella (LPS), whereas CIEP responds to intracellular antigens. Antibodies involved in this test appear late but remain a long time in the sera. CIEP is therefore recommended for screening of animals with chronic brucellosis in which SA and often CF and RB tests too negative.