Isolation and analysis of tetracycline-resistant Mycoplasma agalactiae strains from an infected goat herd in Cyprus - short communication.
A major concern with the use of tetracycline against mycoplasmas is the development of resistance. Infections in small ruminants due to tetracyclineresistant Mycoplasma agalactiae strains are becoming a frequent problem worldwide. In the present paper the detection and analysis of three tetracycline-resistant M. agalactiae strains, isolated from infected goats in Cyprus, are reported. The three field isolates were identified as M. agalactiae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showing 98% identity to the M. agalactiae PG2 reference strain. Furthermore, they were found sensitive to tylosin, enrofloxacin, spiramycin and lincomycin. In contrast, they were resistant to tetracycline. None of the putative genes [tet(M), tet(O) and tet(S)] that commonly contribute to high-level resistance to tetracycline could be amplified from their genome. Contrarily, the field isolates were found to carry ISMag1, an insertion sequence related to the IS30 family of mobile elements. Although ISMag1 is widely believed to induce high-frequency chromosomal rearrangements resulting in phenotypic changes of microorganisms, its potential role in tetracycline resistance of mycoplasmas requires further studies.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Thessaloniki 54124 Greece.
George
G
Filioussis
Ioannis
I
Ioannou
Evanthia
E
Petridou
Maria
M
Avraam
Nektarios D
ND
Giadinis
Spyridon K
SK
Kritas
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001483:Base Sequence; D003535:Cyprus; D006041:Goats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D045644:Mycoplasma agalactiae; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013752:Tetracycline
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013752:Tetracycline