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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1971 July; 22(1): 66-78
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Automation of a Hemagglutination-Inhibition Test for Parainfluenza 3 Antibodies in Bovine Sera ¹

Section of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

ABSTRACT

An automated hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for the "shipping fever" strain (SF-4) of parainfluenza 3 antibody in bovine sera was developed and compared to manual tube and microtiter test procedures. The automated system operating at 60 samples per hr provided the most test results per specified time period, and the manual tube test provided the least. The manual microtiter test and the automated system at 40 samples per hr, falling between the two above procedures, were comparable in the number of sera that could be titrated in 1 day by one technician. There was little difference between automated and manual test reproducibility when measured at the twofold titer one-dilution difference level. However, the automated system titrated a higher number of sera at the same titer on repeat runs than either of the manual test procedures. The automated one-quartile difference reproducibility (each twofold dilution subdivided into 4 units—"quartiles") was equal to the manual test one-dilution difference reproducibility. The standard deviation of the per cent variation from the mean of paired serum titers for 40-sample-per-hr runs ranged from ±3.49 to ±5.36%. The manual and automated systems were of comparable sensitivity in their detection of negative sera.

² Present address: Section of Veterinary Public Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

¹ Taken from a thesis submitted by Donald W. Webert to the University of Pennsylvania in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Medical Science [M.Sc. (Med.)] degree. Presented in part at the 2nd Technicon International Congress, Advances in Automated Analysis, New York, 1970.