title: Molecular characterization of Prototheca strains isolated from Italian dairy herds.
abstract: One hundred sixty-one Prototheca spp. strains isolated from composite milk and barn-surrounding environmental samples (bedding, feces, drinking, or washing water, surface swabs) of 24 Italian dairy herds were characterized by genotype-specific PCR analysis. Overall, 97.2% of strains isolated from composite milk samples were characterized as Prototheca zopfii genotype 2, confirming its role as the main mastitis pathogen, whereas Prototheca blaschkeae was only sporadically isolated (2.8%). Regarding environmental sampling, 84.9% of isolates belonged to P. zopfii genotype 2, 13.2% to P. blaschkeae, and 1.9% to P. zopfii genotype 1. The data herein contradict previous hypotheses about the supposed exclusive role of P. zopfii genotype 2 as the causative agent of protothecal mastitis and, on the contrary, confirm the hypothesis that such pathology could be caused by P. blaschkeae in a few instances.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Lombardia and Emilia Romagna, I-29027 Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goretti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Branda
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cammi
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Garbarino
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Turchetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buzzini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D007558:Italy; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000382:microbiology; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011525:Prototheca / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification