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Ruminant Mycoplasmas <strong>PCR</strong> 231<br />

16<br />

<strong>Detection</strong> and Differentiation<br />

<strong>of</strong> Ruminant Mycoplasmas<br />

Helmut Hotzel, Joachim Frey,<br />

John Bashiruddin, and Konrad Sachse<br />

1. Introduction<br />

1.1. Importance <strong>of</strong> the Agents<br />

More than 20 different species <strong>of</strong> mollicutes, most <strong>of</strong> them belonging to the<br />

genus Mycoplasma, have been identified from ruminant hosts to date. While a<br />

considerable part <strong>of</strong> this group is conceived to be <strong>of</strong> minor epidemiological<br />

relevance, it contains some important pathogenic agents that have specific host<br />

ranges. Due to several peculiar properties <strong>of</strong> mycoplasmas, which include the<br />

absence <strong>of</strong> a cell wall and the capability <strong>of</strong> surface antigen variation, diseases<br />

caused by mycoplasmas are difficult to control in the conventional fashion by<br />

chemotherapy or immunoprophylaxis. Another general feature <strong>of</strong> mycoplasma<br />

infections is their protracted and occasionally chronic course. Five mycoplasmas<br />

<strong>of</strong> economic and welfare importance are mentioned here and serve as<br />

examples for the variety <strong>of</strong> clinical and diagnostic circumstances that can be<br />

resolved using polymerase chain reaction (<strong>PCR</strong>).<br />

Mycoplasma (M.) bovis, one <strong>of</strong> the etiological agents <strong>of</strong> bovine mycoplasmosis<br />

occurring most frequently in Europe and North America, was associated<br />

with mastitis in cows, arthritis and pneumonia in calves and young cattle, as<br />

well as genital disorders in bulls and cows (1). While mastitis outbreaks mainly<br />

occur in the larger dairy herds, pneumonia and arthritis in calves represent<br />

typical mycoplasma diseases in small farms.<br />

M. agalactiae causes contagious agalactia, a severe infectious disease <strong>of</strong><br />

sheep and goats expressed clinically as mastitis, arthritis, or keratoconjunctivi-<br />

From: Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 216: <strong>PCR</strong> <strong>Detection</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Microbial</strong> <strong>Pathogens</strong>: Methods and Protocols<br />

Edited by: K. Sachse and J. Frey © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ<br />

231

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