Molecular Detection and Characterization of Pasteurella multocida Isolated from Rabbits
Molecular Detection and Characterization of Pasteurella multocida Isolated from Rabbits
Eman H. Mahrous1, Mohamed. W. Abd Al -Azeem2, Faisal A. Wasel1, Waleed Younis2*
ABSTRACT
P. multocida is the main bacterial pathogen causing respiratory manifestations (snuffles) in rabbits with significant economic losses and poor prognosis in Egypt. So, this study aims to detect and identify P. multocida isolated from rabbits by molecular techniques. To establish this goal, lungs, liver, and heart (50 for each organ) were collected from 50 diseased rabbits (suffering from respiratory signs) from backyard rabbits at different localities in Sohag governorate, Egypt. All samples were submitted for PCR test and other conventional methods of identification. Recovery of P. multocida isolates of diseased rabbits from lung, liver, and heart were 23 (46%), 11 (22%), 13 (26%), respectively, with a total incidence of 47 (31.3%). Biochemical reactions proved that 20 (42.5%) out of 47 isolates had the typical biochemical properties of P. multocida. However, only 10 isolates were identified as P. multocida using species-specific primers by conventional PCR with an incidence of 6.7%, besides belonging to serogroup A by multiplex PCR. Serologically only eight isolates belong to somatic serotypes 1, 3, and 12 with a percentage of 20%, 10%, and 10% respectively, while other isolates were untypable. All the recovered isolates were further subjected to multiplex PCR screening of some common virulence genes and revealed the presence of pfhA, hgbB, tbpA, toxA, sodA, ptfA, sodC, nanB, and oma87 with percentages of 30%, 60%, 10%, 100%, 70%, 90%, 90%, 90%, and 100% respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility tests of the recovered isolates revealed that they were all multidrug-resistant (MDR) with a predominance of resistance to erythromycin and oxytetracycline. In conclusion, these findings evidenced that clinically diseased rabbits have a high frequency of MDR and virulent Pasteurella multocida strains.
Keywords | Antimicrobial susceptibility; Pasteurella multocida; Rabbits; Virulence genes
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