title: Isolation and identification of bovine Brucella isolates from Pakistan by biochemical tests and PCR.
abstract: Brucellosis is endemic in bovines in Pakistan. The Brucella species and biovars involved, however, are unknown. The objectives of the present study were to isolate and characterize brucellae from seropositive milk samples, aborted fetuses, and vaginal swabs of cattle and buffaloes which had recently aborted. The seropositive milk samples, aborted fetuses, and vaginal swabs of cattle and buffaloes were collected from the Potohar Plateau, Pakistan. Isolation of brucellae was done on modified Farrell's serum dextrose agar. Isolates were characterized by conventional biotyping methods, while molecular typing was done by genus (B4/B5) and species-specific (Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, Brucella ovis, and Brucella suis) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 30 isolates were recovered from milk (n = 5), aborted fetuses (n = 13), and vaginal swabs (n = 12). Most isolates were from cattle (56.7 %). All of them were identified as B. abortus biovar 1 based on conventional biotyping methods and genus and species-specific PCR. This preliminary study provides the first report on the prevalence of B. abortus biovar 1 in cattle and buffaloes in Pakistan.
authors.affiliation: Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan, shahzaduaar772@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Shahzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Qurban
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Melzer
authors.forename: Iahtasham
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Shamim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akhter
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.forename: Syed M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jamal
mesh_terms: D037881:Aborted Fetus / Q000382:microbiology; D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D002002:Brucella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial