Characterisation of Brucella suis isolates from Southeast Europe by multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis.
Porcine brucellosis is a common bacterial zoonosis which can cause significant financial losses. Its diverse and often complicated factors have hampered efforts to control disease spread. The aim of the study was to assess the epidemiological situation of porcine brucellosis primarily in Croatia and its relationship to genotypes present in other, mostly European countries. One hundred and seven Brucella suis strains isolated from swine, hares, cattle, humans, wild hares, a wild boar and a mare originating mainly from Croatia (112), but also a few from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia (15) were tested using classical microbiological testing, Bruce-ladder, RFLP, Multiplex-suis and genotyped using multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). We determined 43 Brucella suis genotypes. Strains were grouped according to phylogenetic and geographic relationships, revealing both regional specificity and uniqueness and suggesting possible sources and modes of spread among animals. Our study also confirmed problems with Bruce19 locus that may hinder comparisons of new types with those in the international database. Forty-one novel genotypes were identified and deposited into the international database. Our study supports the idea of wild animals as a source of disease in domestic animals and also gives evidence to hypothesis of cross-border animal trafficking between former Yugoslavian countries. It also highlights the need to expand such research across more of southeast Europe, especially to countries with poorer social and economical situation in order to prevent a realistic outbreak and for better understanding of the biology of this pathogen.
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: marjanovic@veinst.hr.
Sanja
S
Duvnjak
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: racicivana@gmail.com.
Ivana
I
Račić
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: spicic@veinst.hr.
Silvio
S
Špičić
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: zdelar-tuk@veinst.hr.
Maja
M
Zdelar-Tuk
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: reil@veinst.hr.
Irena
I
Reil
Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnosis of Bacterial Diseases, Savska cesta 143, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: cvetnic@veinst.hr.
Željko
Ž
Cvetnić
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D041021:Brucella suis / Q000235:genetics; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Brucella suis; Croatia; Genotyping; Infectious disease; MLVA; SE Europe