title: Development of real-time PCR assays for the detection of Moraxella macacae associated with bloody nose syndrome in rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) macaques.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moraxella macacae is a recently described bacterial pathogen that causes epistaxis or so-called bloody nose syndrome in captive macaques. The aim of this study was to develop specific molecular diagnostic assays for M. macacae and to determine their performance characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed six real-time PCR assays on the Roche LightCycler. The accuracy, precision, selectivity, and limit of detection (LOD) were determined for each assay, in addition to further validation by testing nasal swabs from macaques presenting with epistaxis at the Tulane National Primate Research Center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All assays exhibited 100% specificity and were highly sensitive with an LOD of 10 fg for chromosomal assays and 1 fg for the plasmid assay. Testing of nasal swabs from 10 symptomatic macaques confirmed the presence of M. macacae in these animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We developed several accurate, sensitive, and species-specific real-time PCR assays for the detection of M. macacae in captive macaques.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Translational Sciences Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Kitty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chase
authors.affiliation: Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University Health Sciences, Covington, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Monica E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Embers
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kulesh
authors.affiliation: Center for Genome Sciences, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ladner
authors.affiliation: Center for Genome Sciences, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gustavo F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Palacios
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Minogue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D009016:Moraxella / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045828:Moraxellaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009668:Nose Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: epistaxis; molecular diagnostics; non-human primates; veterinary microbiology