Equine IgM Test Kit Radial...

Description

Equine IgM Test Kit Radial Immunodiffusion Test Kit

Radial Immunodiffusion Test for Quantitation of Equine IgM in Serum or Plasma.

1. Intended Use:

The quantification of equine IgM in horses aids in the diagnosis of combined immunodeficiency disease (CID).  IgM levels increase in newborn foals from passive transfer of colostrum.

2. Summary

Single radial immunodiffusion tests have evolved from the work of Fahey and McKelvey1 and Mancini et al2.  They are specific for the various proteins in serum or other fluids and depend on the reaction of each protein with its specific antibody.

When the wells in antibody containing gels are completely filled with the antigen, the precipitin rings that develop after 10-20 hours at room temperature are measured.  The diameter of the ring and the logarithm (base 10) of the protein concentration are related in a linear fashion.  Using appropriate reference standards, the concentration of unknown samples may be measured.

Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the largest of the immunoglobulin molecules and because of it’s large size it is restricted almost entirely to the intravascular space.  These macromolecules are highly efficient agglutinators of particulate antigens such as bacteria and red blood cells.  When a foreign antigen is introduced into a host for the first time the synthesis of IgG and IgM antibodies begins almost simultaneously, however, the level of IgM antibodies peaks within a few days and then declines more rapidly than the level of IgG antibodies.  Combined Immunodeficiency Disease: An autosomal recessive type of this disease has been identified in Arab foals.  Affected animals are frequently asyptomatic during the first several months of life, but become progressively more susceptible to microbial infections as maternal antibody wanes.  Arab foals with the disorder frequently succumb to adenovirus pneumonia or other infections at around 2 months of age.  The foals are persistently lymphopenic.  Precolostral serum samples have no detectable IgM antibody.  Immunoglobulin levels will be normal following nursing, but will progressively decrease after that time compared to normal foals.  Affected foals at ages 28 to 70 days were reported to lack IgM in all cases.  Heterozygous individuals show no signs.  The incidence of CID in Arabian foals is approximately 2 to 3%, suggesting a prevalence of about 25% for the carrier state. ^3,4,5