Agglutination l^cst in Abortion. ;>/ I 



In this section will be found results of eertaiu researches con- 

 ducted on diajjnosis from specimens of uterine exudate and of 

 whey. 



When triiei/ has been used the a<i:glutination test alone has l)een 

 applied to it. 



When usi/u/ e.ru<I(ite} tlic /ncdiis dvaildhle in t/ie Iio/ids of fhe 

 bacteriolo(jiitt are : — 



(1) ]\Iicrf)Scopical examination. 



(2) Cultures. 



(3) Inoculation of animals. 



(4) Agglutination test; and 



(5) Complement fixation test. 



1. Microscojncal examination . — To a person who is in the habit 

 of frequently examining specimens containing the bacilhis abortus 

 the diagnosis presents no great difficulties, especially if the organ- 

 isms are plentiful and typically arranged. On the other hand 

 there are met with in vaginal or uterine material bacteria which 

 simulate more or less the B. abortus, and here the other tests aid 

 to confirm the diagnosis. 



2. Cultures. — For these to be satisfactory, the materfal should 

 be as free as possible from contamination by other organisms. In 

 Australia a cow is frequently at grass wdien abortion takes place, 

 and may have aborted some days before the stockman sees her. 

 The discharge in such cases is sure to be badly contaminated. 



Also, the discharge should obviously not contain any antiseptic. 

 It sometimes happens that one is called upon to examine material 

 from a cow which has been syringed out with lysol, the specimen 

 smelling strongly of the antiseptic. For these reasons this method 

 is of very limited application. 



3. Inoculation of Animals. — The remai'ks made about contamina- 

 tion and antiseptics under the last heading apply equally here. 

 Nevertheless, this method of diagnosis has been used here with 

 success, guinea-pigs being used. Owing to the length of time before 

 marked lesions develop one resorts to the agglutination test of the 

 blood serum of the guinea-pig to determine whether infection by 

 the specific organism has taken place. 



4. Agglutination Test. — This has proved valuable in diagnosing 

 a sample of exudate, in which the microscopical findings were 

 doubtful, and where, on account of great containination, cultures 

 were not obtained. 



1 The word exudate is used throughout to mean vaginal discharge oontainiiiy- uterine exudate. 



