Evaluation of a P48 ELISA for Mycoplasmopsis (Mycoplasma) bovis in North American bison (Bison bison): inferior performance compared to a commercially available ELISA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasmopsis (Mycoplasma) bovis is a significant pathogen in North American bison (Bison bison), causing severe disease with high morbidity and mortality. Effective serological diagnostics are essential for the surveillance and management of disease, yet commercially available ELISAs for M. bovis have only been developed for use in cattle and have not been validated in bison. In this study we evaluated a P48-based indirect ELISA for M. bovis detection and compared its diagnostic performance to a commercially available ELISA developed for use in cattle. Serum samples from bison were tested using both assays, and diagnostic metrics were assessed in comparison to infection status as confirmed by PCR and/or culture. RESULTS: The commercial ELISA demonstrated superior sensitivity (77.8%) and specificity (98.0%) compared to the P48 ELISA (63.9% sensitivity, 94.9% specificity). Combining both ELISAs slightly improved sensitivity (83.3%) but did not significantly enhance overall diagnostic performance. Both the P48 and commercial ELISAs also exhibited cross-reactivity with other Mycoplasma species. CONCLUSIONS: We identify significant challenges in serological diagnostics of M. bovis in bison with implications for interpretation of previous serological studies. Future research should focus on multiple immunogenic targets to enhance sensitivity and specificity for M. bovis serological surveillance.