Rapid detection of Mycoplasma dispar and M. bovirhinis using allele specific polymerase chain reaction protocols

We describe an allele specific PCR based approach for the rapid detection of two bovine Mycoplasma species associated with respiratory disease. Specific and universal oligonucleotides were used in combination to detect the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms within the 16S ribosomal DNA sequence. Presence of Mycoplasma 16S rDNA is indicated by the production of a single control fragment, whilst positive samples generate an alternative smaller specific product over the same region. This technique provides a reliable and sensitive method which, although widely used in human genetic screening, has not been documented for diagnosis of bacterial infection.