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Experimental infection of chickens with an atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum strain: comparison of diagnostic methods
I Kempf1, F Gesbert, M Guittet
1Centre National d'Etudes Vétérinaires et Alimentaires, Laboratorie Central de Recherches Avicole et Porcine, Unité de Recherches Mycoplasmologie Bactériologie, Ploufragan, France.
Abstract:
Fifteen chickens were inoculated with the atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) K703 strain. On different dates post inoculation, tracheal swab samples were collected for mycoplasma culture and blood samples were analysed by slide agglutination test (SA) with commercial or homologous antigen and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with three different kits. Results showed that MG isolation rate was low on several sampling dates. The SA with commercial antigen did not yield positive results, although birds were positive when tested with homologous antigen. With commercial ELISA kits, the numbers of positive samples remained low. These results illustrate the difficulty of diagnosis of infections with such MG variant strains.
Insights
Diagnosing infections with atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) strains in chickens is challenging. Standard diagnostic tests like slide agglutination and ELISA showed low sensitivity with the K703 MG variant.
Area of Science:
- Avian Health
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Poultry Diseases
Background:
- Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a significant avian pathogen affecting poultry health and production.
- Atypical strains of MG can present diagnostic challenges compared to classical strains.
- Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective disease management in chicken flocks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic performance of standard methods for detecting atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) K703 strain in experimentally infected chickens.
- To assess the efficacy of slide agglutination (SA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using commercial and homologous antigens/kits.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen chickens were inoculated with the atypical MG K703 strain.
- Tracheal swabs were collected for mycoplasma culture post-inoculation.
- Blood samples were analyzed using slide agglutination (SA) with commercial and homologous antigens, and ELISA with three commercial kits.
Main Results:
- Mycoplasma gallisepticum isolation rates from tracheal swabs were low across multiple sampling dates.
- Slide agglutination (SA) using commercial antigen failed to detect infections, while homologous antigen showed positive results.
- Commercial ELISA kits also yielded a low number of positive samples, indicating reduced sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights the difficulties in diagnosing infections caused by atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum variant strains using conventional methods.
- Diagnostic test sensitivity may be compromised with novel or variant MG strains, necessitating further research into improved diagnostic strategies.
- The findings underscore the importance of using homologous antigens or developing strain-specific diagnostics for accurate avian mycoplasmosis detection.