Molecular characterization of Prototheca strains isolated from Italian dairy herds.
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.
Ricchi
M
M
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Lombardia and Emilia Romagna, I-29027 Piacenza, Italy.
Goretti
M
M
Branda
E
E
Cammi
G
G
Garbarino
C A
CA
Turchetti
B
B
Moroni
P
P
Arrigoni
N
N
Buzzini
P
P
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