Characterization of brucella strains recovered from slaughtered cows

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University

Abstract

Tissue specimens of 22 cows including retropharyngeal, prescapular, prefemoral, internal iliac and
supramammary lymph nodes as well as spleen were collected from animals after slaughtering at abattoirs
in Beni Suef Governorate. These animals were classified as brucella infected according to test and
slaughter policy applied by the veterinary authorities. Blood serum samples were collected at
slaughtering and re-examined using Buffered Acidified Plate Agglutination Test (BAPAT) and Rose
Bengal Plate Agglutination Test (RBPAT). Tissue specimens were subjected for trials of Brucella
isolation, DNA extraction and PCR for detection of Brucella infection. Brucella melitensis biovar 3 was
isolated from 12 (54.55%) seropositive cows. Amplification of target gene (Immunodominant antigen,
gene bp26) for molecular identification of Brucella in DNA extracts at the genus level showed that the
entire DNA extracts of the 22 tissue samples of cows, were all confirmed by the genus-specific PCR as
Brucella with amplification of the fragment of 450 bp.

Keywords