Abstract
BackgroundControl of brucellosis in livestock, wildlife and humans depends on the reliability of the methods used for detection and identification of bacteria. In the present study, we describe the evaluation of the recently established real-time PCR assay based on the Brucella-specific insertion sequence IS711 with blood samples from 199 wild boars (first group of animals) and tissue samples from 53 wild boars (second group of animals) collected in Switzerland. Results from IS711 real-time PCR were compared to those obtained by bacterial isolation, Rose Bengal Test (RBT), competitive ELISA (c-ELISA) and indirect ELISA (i-ELISA).ResultsIn the first group of animals, IS711 real-time PCR detected infection in 11.1% (16/144) of wild boars that were serologically negative. Serological tests showed different sensitivities [RBT 15.6%, c-ELISA 7.5% and i-ELISA 5.5%] and only 2% of blood samples were positive with all three tests, which makes interpretation of the serological results very difficult. Regarding the second group of animals, the IS711 real-time PCR detected infection in 26% of animals, while Brucella spp. could be isolated from tissues of only 9.4% of the animals.ConclusionThe results presented here indicate that IS711 real-time PCR assay is a specific and sensitive tool for detection of Brucella spp. infections in wild boars. For this reason, we propose the employment of IS711 real-time PCR as a complementary tool in brucellosis screening programs and for confirmation of diagnosis in doubtful cases.
Highlights
Control of brucellosis in livestock, wildlife and humans depends on the reliability of the methods used for detection and identification of bacteria
The goal of our present study was to evaluate the performance of a recently described real-time PCR assay [46] for Brucella spp. detection with wild boar blood and tissue samples collected under the wild boar surveillance program in Switzerland
According to the bacterial isolation method, the highest prevalence was found in tissues of reproductive organs
Summary
Control of brucellosis in livestock, wildlife and humans depends on the reliability of the methods used for detection and identification of bacteria. Cross-reactions between Brucella species and other Gram-negative bacteria, such as Yersinia enterocolitica O:9, Francisella tularensis, Escherichia coli O:157, Salmonella urbana group N, Vibrio cholerae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, are a major problem of the serological assays [10,11,12,13]. False-negative results have been observed in serological diagnosis of brucellosis [11,15,16,17]. They occur mostly due to the fact that the antibody response is dependent upon the stage of infection during sample collection [18]. Latent infection without seroconversion further complicates the problem, in pre-pubertal animals [22]
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