A single radial hemolysis technique for the measurement of influenza virus antibody in swine serum.

A single radial hemolysis technique was applied to the measurement of swine influenza virus antibody in swine serum. It was recognized to be useful for the detection of this antibody, although heating at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes was necessary to remove non--specific hemolysis from the test sample. The single radial hemolysis titer was correlative with the hemagglutination--inhibition titer in serum from pigs infected experimentally or naturally. This technique is simple, rapid and unaffected with non--specific inhibitors in swine serum. It does not require concentrated purified virus either. Therefore, it is applicable to the sero--epizootiologic surveillance of swine influenza on a large scale.