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Prototheca zopfii genotypes isolated from cow barns and bovine mastitis in Japan

Takafumi Osumi1, Yuji Kishimoto, Rui Kano

  • 1Department of Pathobiology, Nihon University School of Veterinary Medicine, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-8510, Japan.

Veterinary Microbiology
|May 31, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Japanese researchers investigated Prototheca zopfii in bovine mastitis. Molecular analysis revealed genotype 2 in all mastitis cases, while barn environments harbored multiple genotypes, indicating complex infection routes.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Animal Health

Background:

  • Prototheca zopfii causes bovine mastitis, a significant economic concern in dairy farming.
  • Understanding the transmission routes of Prototheca zopfii is crucial for effective mastitis control.
  • Previous studies have lacked detailed molecular characterization of Japanese Prototheca zopfii isolates from bovine mastitis and their environmental sources.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To molecularly characterize Japanese isolates of Prototheca zopfii from bovine mastitis and cow-barn environments.
  • To elucidate the potential routes of infection for bovine protothecal mastitis.
  • To identify the genotypes of Prototheca zopfii prevalent in dairy farm environments and associated with clinical cases.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of Prototheca from milk samples of mastitis-affected cows and environmental sources (drinking water, sewage, feces).
  • Molecular typing using genotype-specific PCR assays.
  • Genotyping confirmation and differentiation using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays.

Main Results:

  • All 67 Prototheca zopfii isolates from bovine mastitis cases were identified as genotype 2.
  • Among 32 environmental isolates, 29 were identified as genotype 1, and 3 were identified as genotype 2.
  • While multiple Prototheca zopfii genotypes exist in the cow-barn environment, no specific site was identified as a frequent source of genotype 2.

Conclusions:

  • The study highlights the presence of diverse Prototheca zopfii genotypes in Japanese dairy farm environments.
  • Genotype 2, the causative agent of bovine mastitis in this study, was found in both clinical and environmental samples.
  • Further genotypic exploration is necessary to pinpoint the reservoirs of Prototheca zopfii responsible for bovine mastitis.

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