The reaction of indirect hemagglutination for the species-specific diagnosis of the causative agent of botulism in laboratory practice

This paper presents the method for the developing and evaluating of a monovalent erythrocyte polysaccharide antigenic diagnosticum for the identification of Clostridium botulinum type B using an indirect hemagglutination reaction (RNAI). The technique included formalinization and tannization of sheep erythrocytes, followed by sensitization with inactivated lipopolysaccharide antigen obtained from Clostridium botulinum type B. The developed diagnosticum demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity to Clostridium botulinum type B, while it did not give false positive results with control sera. The specific activity of the antigens was determined using RNAI, ELISA, and PH in white mice. The presented method is intended for intra-laboratory use for research purposes, in particular for the analysis of samples from animals infected with Clostridium botulinum type B, which makes it possible to quickly identify this type of bacteria.