Semina: Ciências Agrárias (Feb 2015)

Use of pan-hemoplasma PCR for screening horses highly exposed to tick bites from southern Brazil

  • Thállitha Samih Wischral Jayme Vieira ,
  • Odilon Vidotto ,
  • Ana Márcia Sá Guimarães ,
  • Andrea Pires dos Santos ,
  • Naíla Cannes do Nascimento ,
  • Mariane Angélica Pommerening Finger ,
  • Ivan Roque Barros-Filho ,
  • Peterson Triches Dornbusch ,
  • Alexander Welker Biondo ,
  • Rafael Felipe da Costa Vieira,
  • Joanne Belle Messick

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n1p291
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 1
pp. 291 – 294

Abstract

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Mycoplasma sp. are hemotropic bacteria of red blood cells and the causative agent of hemoplasmosis. Diagnosis of infection is reached by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) of the 16S RNA gene of this bacteria. The aim of this study was to screen horses for Mycoplasma sp. Infection using a pan-hemoplasma SYBR green qPCR assay. A total of 198 blood samples from horses were collected, DNA extracted and pan-hemoplasma qPCR performed. All samples were negative by qPCR. To verify the presence of amplifiable DNA, PCR for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene was performed on all samples. This study was part of an active surveillance program, which is critical for monitoring animal health status, particularly in horses.

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