A COAGGLUTINATION TEST FOR SEROTYPING PAS TEURELLA-HAEMOLYTICA .2.

A coagglutination test was described for simple, fast and reliable det ection of Pasteurella haemolytica typespecific antigens in lung lesion s even if no viable bacteria could be cultured. Reactions using bacter ial suspensions, saline extracts and boiled saline extracts as antigen s were similar to that obtained by the indirect haemagglutination test . Sixty one out of 65 P. haemolytica field strains could be serotyped using the coagglutination test and P. haemolytica typespecific antigen s were detected in the lung specimens of calves and 5 sheep succumbed due to naturally occurring pneumonia caused by P. haemolytica and 20 c alves experimentally infected with P. haemolytica A1. The coagglutinat ion test detected typespecific antigens in 36% of the lung specimens o f slaughtered field sheep. No false positive or negative reactions occ urred. This test is recommended as an additional method for fast and r eliable serotyping of P. haemolytica.