**15. Laboratory diagnosis**

**Culture:** Infected lymph node samples are inoculated into McCoy cell cultures. It can be treated with aminoglycoside to prevent bacterial contamination. The agent is then identified by morphology or serological tests [11].

**Serology:** Sex-specific antibodies are demonstrated by the complement coupling (CF) test. The test becomes positive 2–4 weeks after the onset of the disease. An increased antibody titer or a single titer greater than 1:64 in a patient with clinical findings is a strong indication of active infection. A decrease in CF titer is observed in patients receiving treatment [11].

**Treatment:** Treatment with tetracyclines and sulfonamides, especially in the early period, yielded successful results. A significant reduction in complement-binding antibodies was observed in most drug-treated patients. This may indicate that the infectious agent has been eradicated from the body. Surgical treatments may be needed in the late stages [27].
