Serological Studies with Mycoplasma synoviae

One of the agents responsible for the clinical syndrome in chickens known as infectious synovitis has been designated Mycoplasma synoviae (14). It is represented in this study by strain WVU 1853. Various papers have indicated antigenic relationship between M. synoviae and M. gallisepticum. Pooled serum samples from chickens infected with M. synoviae produced slight reactions in the rapid-serum-plate (RSP) agglutination test with M. gallisepticum antigen (13), and a similar reaction was noted occasionally with serum samples from birds with infectious synovitis (14). The antiglobulin test showed an antigenic relationship between M. synoviae and M. gallisepticum, whereas the tube agglutination test showed no similarity (2). It has been suggested (15) that the ability to demonstrate a positive RSP test with sera from birds with M. synoviae and M. gallisepticum antigen was influenced by agglutination titer of the serum, age of the bird, time lapse after infection, and antigens used. The first aim of this study was to prepare a RSP agglutination antigen, confirm its specificity, and use it to determine the incidence of M. synoviae in Massachusetts. The second aim was to study the serological relationship between M. synoviae and M. gallisepticum and other agents causing similar reactions (4).