A Serological Survey on Erysipelas in Chickens by Growth Agglutination Test

From March to April 1992, 200 culled chickens sent to an abattoir in Tokyo, Japan were examined for the presence of growth agglutinating antibody in the serum. In the serological survey, 11 (5.5%) of 200 chicken sera had high growth agglutination titres against Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, ranging from 1:16 to 1:128. These findings indicate a high rate of erysipelas infection among chickens in the field.