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PREPARATION OF HYPERIMMUNE SERA TO LEPTOSPIRES IN RABBITS

Take a blood sample out of the ear vein or the ear artery to control the titre against leptospira. Perform in the MAT.

Injections are made intravenously with a suspension of live organisms:

1. the first time: 1 ml of a well grown living culture
2. the second time: 7 days after the first, 2 ml culture
3. the third time: again 7 days later, 4 ml
4. the fourth time: again 7 days later, 6 ml
5. the fifth time: again 7 days later, another 6 ml

Take a blood sample again 1 week after the last inoculation and control the homologous titre by MAT

If the titre is high enough (at least 1:10,000), bleed the rabbit a fortnight later.

If the titre is 1:5,120 or less, inject the rabbit with another 6 ml two weeks after the last injection and bleed 2 weeks after this final injection.

The serum has to be controlled for sterility. Filter the serum through a Millipore filter (pore size 0.22 um)

The serum is divided into ampoules.

The sera are frozen at -70 C or freeze-dried.

STORAGE OF ANTISERUM

Preferably rabbit antisera are freeze dried. The ampoules with freeze dried serum can be kept for years at +4 C.

Sera can be stored in small aliquots at -20 C or -70 C.

Sera can be treated with a preservative and stored at +4 C. Merthiolate or sodium azide can be used as preservatives.