Epidemiology of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica infections in sheep in Australia.

Infections with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype III and Y. enterocolitica serotype O2,3 were found to be common in Australian sheep flocks. Transmission of Y.

Genetic diversity among Australian and New Zealand isolates of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona.

Restriction endonuclease analysis of 16 Australian and 4 New Zealand isolates of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona showed that they could be divided into 3 genetic groups. Most of the isolates closely resembled the serovar kennewicki reference strain, and they all differed from the reference strain of serovar pomona. Based on these findings, it is suggested that vaccine manufacturers re-evaluate their choice of serovar pomona vaccine strain.

Comparison of the Johne's absorbed EIA and the complement-fixation test for the diagnosis of Johne's disease in cattle.

A commercially available absorbed ELISA for the diagnosis of Johne's disease (JD) (paratuberculosis) in cattle, the Johne's Absorbed EIA, was compared with the conventional complement-fixation test (CFT) used in Australia. Stored plasma from 3 Victorian dairy herds with a history of JD, sera from specimens submitted from animals showing clinical signs of JD and sera from the US National Repository for Paratuberculosis Specimens were used to determine the sensitivity of each test. The EIA detected 48.