MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF RESPIRATORY BOVINE MYCOPLASMA ISOLATED FROM ARABIAN CAMELS IN EGYPT

A total of 369 samples were collected from adult Arabian camels for bacteriological examination of Mycoplasma associated with Respiratory signs. A 271 nasal swabs (from 126 diseased and 145 apparently healthy camels) and 98 lung tissues (53 abnormal and 45 apparently normal lungs) were examined bacteriologically and Mycoplasmas were recovered from 67
(18.2 %) samples, which were differentiated using Digitonin sensitivity test into Mycoplasma (35) and Acholeplasma (32) in percentages of 52.2 and 47.8 % of Mycoplasmas, and of 9.5 and 8.7 % of examined samples, respectively. Mycoplasma were differentiated according to biochemical reactions into biochemical groups III, IV and V in percentages of 68.6, 17.1 and 14.3% of isolated Mycoplasma and of 6.5, 1.6 and 1.4% of examined samples, respectively. All Mycoplasma isolates were identified molecularly on the genus level using PCR for detection of 16S rRNA gene, and on the species level as M. bovis and M. bovirhinis using PCR for detection of specific 16S rRNA gene for each species. Mycoplasma species were recovered from nasal swabs and lung tissues constituted 82.9 and 17.1% from isolated Mycoplasma (35), and recovered from nasal swabs, lung tissues and total samples in percentages of 10.7, 6.1 and 9.5 %, respectively. Mycoplasma was isolated from diseased and apparently healthy camels in percentages of 7.3 and 11.6 %, respectively. Mycoplasma bovis recovered from nasal swabs and lung tissues constituted 91.7 and 8.3% from totally isolated M. bovis (24), and recovered from nasal swabs, lung tissues and total samples in percentages of 8.1, 2 and 6.5%, respectively. Mycoplasma bovis was isolated from diseased and apparently healthy camels in percentages of 4.5 and 8.4%, respectively. Mycoplasma bovirhinis recovered from nasal swabs and lung tissues constituted 33.3 and 66.7% from totally isolated M. bovirhinis (6), and recovered from nasal swabs, lung tissues and total samples in percentages of 0.7, 4.1 and 1.6 %, respectively. Mycoplasma bovirhinis isolated from diseased and apparently healthy camels in percentages of 1.7 and 1.6%, respectively.