Biochemical characterization of an antigenic saline extract of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 and identification of a serotype-specific antigen for ELISA serodiagnosis

A saline extract of boiled-formalinized whole cells from a local strain (81–750; Quebec, Canada) of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, serotype 5b was used as an antigen in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of swine pleuropneumonia. Characterization of this crude extract was done and proteins, neutral sugars, hexosamines, and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (KDO) were evaluated. On phenol extraction of the crude extract a serotype-specific antigen of polysaccharidic nature was recovered from the aqueous phase. This antigen was characterized using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with Coomassie blue, silver and Schiff stainings. Immunoblots were done using sera of experimentally infected pigs that showed serotype specificity and cross-reactivity. Overall, the results indicate that the O-chain of lipopolysaccharides is a specific antigen that could be used in ELISA for the serodiagnosis of serotype 5 of A. pleuropneumoniae.