Premium
Precipitins to Micropolyspora faeni in the adult cattle of selected herds in Scotland and north‐west England
Author(s) -
PIRIE H. M.,
DAWSON CHRISTINE O.,
BREEZE R. G.,
SELMAN I. E.,
WISEMAN A.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1972.tb01281.x
Subject(s) - precipitin , farmer's lung , hay , herd , incidence (geometry) , veterinary medicine , biology , zoology , medicine , lung , immunology , antibody , physics , optics
Summary Sera from all housed adult cattle in twelve herds were examined for precipitating antibody to Micropolyspora faeni at the beginning of winter and approximately 5 months later in the spring; during this time they had been fed hay. Six of these herds were owned by farmers with farmer's lung. The average incidence of precipitins was 33% on the first occasion and 47% on the second occasion. After the winter there was a statistically significant increase in the number of animals with precipitins in five herds. A positive correlation was shown between the incidence of precipitins and age. None of seventy‐five animals on a farm feeding good hay and only one of fifty‐eight cattle fed silage had precipitins after the winter. Whereas, on a farm where the farmer complained of a recurrence of the symptoms of farmer's lung when feeding hay, the incidence of precipitins in his cows increased dramatically from 9% to 76%. A farm with a respiratory disease problem in the cattle, diagnosed as bovine farmer's lung, had 83% of its animals positive. The significance of precipitins and the problem of diagnosing farmer's lung in cattle are discussed.