Establishment of an efficient enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Eperythrozoon sius antibody in swine.

The Eperythrozoon suis (E. suis) antigen was purified using a Sephadex G-200 chromatograph, and thereby, a high-affinity, specific E. suis antigen was collected and confirmed with Western blotting. Using this antigen, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system to detect the antibody against E. suis in swine was established. There was no cross-reaction with swine sera, which were affected with Mycoplasmal pneumonia, swine fever, swine colibacillosis, or toxoplasmosis. A comparison of this ELISA system with an indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test using 78 swine samples revealed that the ELISA system significantly improved the sensitivity, specificity, and stability for the serodiagnosis of swine E. suis.