Serological and bacteriological diagnosis of Chlamydia- and Coxiella-induced diseases in sheep and goat

Infections with Chlamydia or Coxiella burnetii are frequently associated wi th abortion in small ruminants. This study describes the serological and ba cteriological methods currently used for laboratory diagnosis. The most wid ely used tests are the CFT and the indirect ELISA. In samples from abortion s, the causative agents can be detected by staining using the method descri bed by Stamp. Chlamydial and rickettsial antigen can also be demonstrated b y ELISA kits. In this comparative study the ELISA was shown to be the more sensitive method. The PCR is a highly sensitive method for the detection an d differentiation of chlamydia and Coxiella burnetii. In a proportion of ca ses it is necessary to isolate the agents i.e. by cell culture. This is a r elatively time consuming and labour intensive method compared to the serolo gical methods of CFT and ELISA.