Is there a blood test for trichomonosis?
No, there is no commercially available serologic test for trichomonosis. Dr. Bob BonDurant’s Trichomonosis Research Lab at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has been researching blood testing for diagnosing trichomonosis. The test they have been working with is called a “hemolytic” assay; this is actually an old fashioned Complement Fixing assay, in which bovine red blood cells from known negative cows are coated with T. foetus antigen, then exposed to titrated test sera or negative control sera. Following the addition of rabbit or guinea pig complement, the red cell suspension lyses if there is Complement Fixing antibody in the serum. If not, the RBC’s just sink to the bottom, forming a pellet. No other labs are running this test, and Dr. BonDurant’s lab is currently only running the test for research (when results may offer significant diagnostic information or research advancement). The CF test described above has shown some benefit in trying to determine exposure of a herd
