ELIMINATION OF MYCOPLASMAL PLATE AGGLUTINATION CROSS-REACTIONS IN SERA FROM CHICKENS INOCULATED WITH INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE VIRUSES

Sera from chickens inoculated with various challenge infectious bursal disease viruses or infectious bursal disease vaccines were found to cross-react in the Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) serum plate agglutination (SPA) tests. Two-fold dilutions of these cross-reacting sera with phosphate-buffered saline before retesting eliminated all non-specific agglutination in the MG and MS SPA tests. Cross-reactions were observed in the SPA test using sera from chickens inoculated with either MG or MS. Dilutions of these sera 1:2 had little effect on the number of these cross-reactions. At 1:4 serum dilutions, however, the number of cross-reactions between MG and MS was reduced. At 1:8 dilution of test sera, cross-reactions between MG and MS were further reduced. Some reduction in specific MG and MS SPA reactions, however, also occurred at the 1:8 dilution of sera with some of the plate antigen.