title: Evaluation of different diagnostic tools for the detection and identification of Riemerella anatipestifer.
abstract: Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) is an important avian pathogen with considerable impact on poultry production worldwide. However, the diagnosis of RA infections may be difficult, mainly due to problems with unequivocal differentiation of RA from other Flavobacteriaceae and a lack of standardized methods and reagents. The aim of the present study was therefore to complement the routine diagnostic strategies for RA by design and evaluation of alternative diagnostic tools. We designed and validated a new RA-specific polymerase chain reaction assay, which proved to be a valuable tool for the identification of RA isolates as well as for rapid and sensitive RA detection directly from diagnostic samples. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry fingerprinting of whole bacterial cells was also demonstrated to identify RA isolates efficiently. Furthermore, this method may also provide opportunities for RA subtyping. In our study, a stable subcluster was formed by the mass spectroscopy profiles of a group of RA isolates originating from turkey flocks in northern Germany, suggesting an epidemiological relationship of these isolates. Serotyping is a further important measure to characterize RA isolates. We tested a set of commercially available anti-RA sera with RA serotype reference strains and field isolates to allow comparison between these sera and reference sera. In summary, this report contributes to the improvement of present microbiological and molecular strategies for the diagnosis of RA infections by providing new tools as well as enhanced knowledge on existing methods.
authors: Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bu¨nteweg 17, D-30559 Hannover, Germany.
authors: Dennis
authors: D
authors: Rubbenstroth
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Ryll
authors: Johannes Karl-Mark
authors: JK
authors: Knobloch
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Köhler
authors: Silke
authors: S
authors: Rautenschlein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D001483:Base Sequence; D045826:Flavobacteriaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005858:Germany; D007106:Immune Sera; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D060494:Riemerella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D012703:Serotyping / Q000662:veterinary; D013045:Species Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000662:veterinary; D013997:Time Factors; D014422:Turkeys
chemical_list: D007106:Immune Sera