Serological response of turkeys to experimental infection and re.infection with mycoplasma gallisepticum

Nutor, B.L., Animal Research Institute, Box 20, Achimota, Ghana

Serological response of turkeys to experimental infection and re.infection with mycoplasma gallisepticum

1972

Nutor, B.L., Animal Research Institute, Box 20, Achimota, Ghana

An investigation was made of the clinical and serological response of four groups of turkey poults inoculated with a mixture of mucin and a culture of A514 strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a culture of A514 strain alone, a culture of high passage S6(M) strain of M. gallisepticum, and a culture of low passage S6(M) strain respectively.Clinical signs of the disease were seen only in the group inoculated with the lowpassage S6(M) strain. Mucin did not appear to increase the virulence of the A514 strain,and high-passage of the S6(M) strain in artificial media considerably reduced its virulence. There was no appreciable difference in the patterns of serological response of the four groups of turkeys.Peak anti-body titres were found one to two weeks after inoculation and then there was a decline.Twenty weeks after the initial infection six turkeys, which still showed detectable antibody response, were re-infected with the low-passage S6(M) strain of M. gallisepticum.Clinical signs of the disease were seen in three of the six birds. All the six birds showed secondary antibody response with peak titres occurring two weeks after reinfection

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