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Bulletin No. 18 - Spring 2004
BacterologyMycoplasma hyopneumoniae
VICCA J, STAKENBORG T, MAES D, BUTAYE P, PEETERS J, DE KRUIF A, HAESENBROUCK F
Evaluation of virulence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae field isolates.
Veterinary Microbiology, 98, 2004, 177-190
Six M. hyopneumoniae strains isolated from different Belgian farrow-to-finish herds were compared. Following intratracheal inoculation of each isolate in conventional M. hyopneumoniae-free piglets, the results of respiratory disease scores, lung lesion scores, histiopathology, immunofluorescence, serology and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) were analyzed in order to assess the virulence of each isolate and achieve a better understanding of their genetic variability. The isolates showed significant differences and were classified as low, moderately and highly virulent strains. Furthermore, a 5000 bp RAPD fragment was detected only in the isolates of moderate and high virulence suggesting that this fragment could be used as a virulence marker, which should be the subject of further studies.
