A RELIABLE METHOD, FOR THE INDUCTION OF EXPERIMENTAL FURUNCULOSIS

A series of experiments were carried out to assess the reproducibility of a bath challenge model to induce experimental furunculosis. The ch allenge method was shown to reliably induce a control mortality of 78. 9 +/- 3.5%. Although the method was shown to be robust, same tanks fai led to achieve an acceptable control mortality. The reasons for this a re unclear; however, the failure of a tank to induce a satisfactory co ntrol mortality is related to a rapid disappearance of the initial ino culum. The reason for the disappearance of the inoculum appears to be related to the presence of hydrophobic regions in the challenge tank.