Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or... – Involving antigen-antibody binding – specific binding protein...
Patent
1996-07-09
1998-09-15
Saunders, David
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or...
Involving antigen-antibody binding, specific binding protein...
435 792, G01N 3353
Patent
active
058076840
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to methods of testing for mastitis in mammals including but not limited to humans, and for example it may be used in testing for the presence or absence of mastitis in dairy cows, either in single cows or bulk samples taken from numbers of animals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mastitis is a disease of the breast, mammary gland or udder which is generally caused by infective micro-organisms. Mastitis is of inevitable widespread occurrence, since the mammae are glands intended to produce a rich food(intended for the young)at a warm temperature. Consequently micro-organisms may easily develop in such a medium and invade the body tissue as well, despite the presence of natural defense mechanisms.
The incidence of mastitis in cows within the dairy industry may be very high in some farms, and if chronic mastitis and carrier cows are included in the count it is relatively uncommon to find an incidence of less than 5% in a herd.
Testing may be carried out on samples of milk from individual cows or on bulk milk from a herd of cows. There is a need for a reliable test that may be used on milk, for example within a dairy factory, to indicate whether the general level of infection of a cow (individual samples) or within a herd (i.e., the testing of bulk milk) is acceptable. This process thus may become a significant step in quality assurance within the dairy industry.
Human intervention with milking machinery and the like is not the sole cause of mastitis, for an incidence of 5% has been recently described as typical of sheep on pasture --where generally one half of the udder is affected and the ewe cannot then raise twin lambs. Other mammals including humans may also be affected with mastitis.
Sub-acute or chronic mastitis may exist in the absence of clearly visible clinical signs and even the milk may appear to be grossly normal. In such cases one would discover that the micro-organisms tend to colonise the milk ducts and cisternae rather than the parenchyma where acute infections occur. It is extremely useful to locate, treat, and confirm as "cured" cows (or other dairy animals) having subacute mastitis for such animals carry the disease and release pathogenic microorganisms into the environment and particularly into milking machinery, from where they may infect others of the herd or flock.
A number of test methods have been developed, particularly with samples of milk, for use either at the side of the animal or within a laboratory on either individual or bulk samples, to detect subclinical mastitis. A variety of test methods are known which detect the cause of the disease directly, or which detect aspects of the usual response by the mammal to infection.
Examples of such milk-based tests are: evaluation of salt content or of leucocyte numbers (by manual or automated microscopic means or by using the viscosity developed after addition of detergent (eg, the well-known California test)), or by culture of micro-organisms (likely to return false negative results if antibiotics are present in the milk). There are also a number of specific tests to detect particular, predicted organisms generally by means of antibodies produced within the infected mammal, but specific tests are not useful if the microorganism is not known.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of testing for mastitis which at least provides the public with a useful choice.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly in one aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist of a method of testing for the occurrence of mastitis in mammals comprising the steps of: tested; level above or below a predetermined level; and said immunoglobulin is present in said sample at or above said pre-determined level.
In a second aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist of a method of testing for the occurrence of mastitis in groups of mammals comprising the steps of: be tested; level above or below a predetermined level; and immunoglobulin is present in said sample at
REFERENCES:
Anderson, KL et al. Amer. J. Vet. Research. 47(11):2405-2410, Nov. 1986.
Uhaa, IJ et al. Vet. Research Comm. 14:279-285, 1990.
Mackie, DP et al. Research in Vet. Sci. 40: 183-188, Mar. 1986.
Roitt, IM et al. in Immunology. Roitt, IM et al editors. Gower Medical Publ., London. pp. 25.1-25.10, 1985.
Sharpin Rosemary Katherine Cameron
Simmons Maxine Helen
Saunders David
VanderVegt F. Pierre
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