[Improvement and acceleration of the diagnosis of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia by direct detection of the microbe using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)].
A diagnostic procedure is described for the detection of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC, the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. DNA extracted from clinical samples was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using at least 2 different primer pairs, one species-specific and another one specific for the class of Mollicutes. Using this method, the time required for detection of the pathogen was reduced to 2 days, whereas with traditional diagnostic methods (cultivation in broth, biochemical tests or immunofluorescence) the same finding would be available only within approximately 20 days. Although contagious bovine pleuropneumonia does not occur in Central Europe, there are occasional identifications of cattle having positive titres in the complement fixation test (CFT). Immunoblotting analysis of such sera confirmed that the reason for this phenomenon were cross-reactions with taxonomically related mycoplasma species. The present PCR assay proved to be suitable because of its rapidity, as well as high specificity and sensitivity. In the case of positive serological findings it enables diagnosticians to provide evidence on the presence or absence of the agent at short notice.
Hotzel
H
H
Institut für gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinärmedizin, Bakterielle Tierseuchen und Bekämpfung von Zoonosen, Jena.
Sachse
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D009176:Mycoplasma mycoides / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010994:Pleura / Q000382:microbiology; D011002:Pleuropneumonia, Contagious / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial