Molecular typing of Brucella species isolates from Human and livestock bloods in Isfahan province.
BACKGROUND
Human brucellosis is caused by infection with certain species of the genus Brucella and is characterized by bacterial persistence and inflammation of many host tissues. Handling all live Brucella involves risk of laboratory infection and very strict biosafety rules must be observed. In order to avoid these disadvantages, method based on the PCR-RFLP shows excellent typeability, reproducibility, stability, and epidemiological concordance. The omp2 locus contains two gene copies (named omp2a and omp2b) coding for porin proteins and has been found particularly useful for molecular typing and identification of Brucella at the species, biovar, or strain level. This study is designed to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of Brucella spp from human and livestock in Isfahan province, central region of Iran in order to use the findings in efficient disease prevention programs.


METHODS
One hundred ninety blood samples were collected from human and cattle with active brucellosis and 40 aborted ewes fetuses were collected and genotyped using PCR-RFLP technique, DNA polymorphisms such as the restriction patterns of the PCR-amplified omp2a and omp2b genes.


RESULTS
The molecular characterization performed to assess the species and the biovar of the Brucella strains. Analysis of the 230 isolates examined in this study generated three unique RFLP profiles. One of the profiles was the most common being present in 134/180.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings confirm abundance of B. melitensis, particularly biovar 1 in human and sheep are identical but B. abortus biovar 3 as the etiological agent of cattle brucellosis most frequently isolated in the Isfahan area.
Department of Microbiology and Virology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Ebtehaj
E
Pishva
Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Rasoul
R
Salehi
Center of Veterinary and Clinic Network, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Akbar
A
Hoseini
Center of Veterinary and Clinic Network, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Ali
A
Kargar
Center of Veterinary and Clinic Network, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Fatemeh Emani
FE
Taba
Center of Veterinary and Clinic Network, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Maryam
M
Hajiyan
Department of Microbiology and Virology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Reza
R
Fadaei
Department of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Javad
J
Ramezanpour
Brucella; PCR-RFLP; brucellosis; molecular typing; omp2