Lung-tissue extract as an alternative to serum for surveillance for brucellosis in chamois

Serological surveys are the most-used way to study diseases in foe-ranging wild animals. However, the difficulty in obtaining a sufficient number of suitable serum samples is a major problem. To resolve this problem, we investigated the possibility of using lung-tissue extract in place of blood serum for searching for antibodies against Brucella abortus. Antibodies titres against B. abortus was tested from blood serum and lung-tissue extract from 112 chamois and 99 cattle. Although in complement-fixation-test, lung-tissue extract titres usually were one-to three-fold lower than serum titres, there was a good agreement between serum and lung-tissue extract positivity both in chamois and in cattle. The lung-tissue extract appears a suitable resource in monitoring brucellosis in chamois. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.