Serotype identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction

Rapid and accurate determination of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype involved in a disease outbreak is important both in limiting the severity of an outbreak and for tracing the source of the infecting organism. This study describes the use of arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) as a rapid, precise, and genetically based procedure to identify A. pleuropneumoniae. AP-PCR amplification of bacterial genomic DNA results in specific DNA profiles, which can be used to differentiate currently recognized serotypes. This technique is especially useful for identifying previously nontypeable and serologically cross-reactive A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates. Consecutive passages of isolates on different media, freezing, and subsequent infection of pigs did not alter the AP-PCR genomic profile. We propose the use of M13 and T3-T7 oligodeoxynucleotide primers for diagnostic and epidemiological identification of A. pleuropneumoniae by AP-PCR techniques.