Molecular Variability among Strains of Pasteurella multocida Isolated from an Outbreak of Haemorrhagic Septicaemia in India

• Published in: Veterinary research communications 2004-05, Vol.28 (4), p.287-298
• Main Authors: Biswas, A, Shivachandra, S.B, Saxena, M.K, Kumar, A.A, Singh, V.P, Srivastava, S.K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Assay; buffaloes; Buffaloes - microbiology; Disease Outbreaks; DNA Fingerprinting - veterinary; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; epidemiological studies; Hemorrhagic Septicemia - epidemiology; Hemorrhagic Septicemia - microbiology; Hemorrhagic Septicemia - veterinary; India - epidemiology; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - veterinary; Nasal Lavage Fluid - microbiology; Pasteurella Infections - epidemiology; Pasteurella Infections - microbiology; Pasteurella Infections - veterinary; Pasteurella multocida; Pasteurella multocida - classification; Pasteurella multocida - genetics; pathogenicity; polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; rapid methods; septicemia
• ISSN: 0165-7380; 1573-7446
• DOI: 10.1023/B:VERC.0000026656.77847.5b

The applicability of conventional and molecular methods for rapid detection and differentiation ofPasteurella multocida serogroup B isolates involved in an outbreak of haemorrhagic septicaemia affecting Indian buffaloes was studied. Five isolates were obtained and were subjected to phenotypic and genotypic characterization. None of the five isolates could be differentiated on the basis of cultural, biochemical, pathogenicity and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques were found to be specific and sensitive for rapid detection and differentiation of isolates. Repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP-) PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC-) PCR and single-primer PCR differentiated all the five isolates into different profiles. All the isolates involved in the outbreak were found to have a genetic profile different from standardP. multocida strain (P52). However, three isolates had similar profiles, whereas each of the remaining two had a different profile. The study indicates the involvement of multiple strains ofP. multocida in a single outbreak of haemorrhagic septicaemia in buffaloes. The results also indicate that molecular methods of detection and typing are superior to conventional methods for rapid epidemiological investigations of haemorrhagic septicaemia.