First Molecular Survey to Detect Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae in Poultry Farms in a Strategic Production District of Sicily (South-Italy)
by
, , , , , , and
Paola Galluzzo
1,2
,
Sergio Migliore
1,*,
Lucia Galuppo
1,*,
Lucia Condorelli
1,
Hany A. Hussein
1,
Francesca Licitra
3,
Miriana Coltraro
3,
Sabrina Sallemi
4,
Francesco Antoci
3,
Giuseppe Cascone
3,
Roberto Puleio
1 and
Guido Ruggero Loria
1 1
OIE Reference Laboratory for Contagious Agalactia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, 90129 Palermo, Italy
2
Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
3
Ragusa Area, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, 97100 Ragusa, Italy
4
DVM Consultant Poultry Specialists, 97013 Comiso, Italy
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2022, 12(8), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080962
Submission received: 8 March 2022
/
Revised: 31 March 2022
/
Accepted: 7 April 2022
/
Published: 8 April 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases in Poultry)
Simple Summary
Avian mycoplasmosis is caused by several pathogenic mycoplasmas of which Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and M. synoviae (MS) are the most important. These bacteria may cause both respiratory disease and synovial infections in poultry, resulting in severe economic losses. The aim of this work was to determine the occurrence of MG and MS among commercial and rural laying hens located in Ragusa province (South Italy), using a duplex real time PCR. Four hundred tracheal swabs were collected from seven commercial and 25 rural farms without any clinical disease history. The prevalence in the studied flocks was 28.6% (commercial) and 40% (rural) for MG, and 42.8% (commercial) and 44% (rural) for MS. The overall prevalence at animal level was 12.5% for MG and 23.25% for MS. Data obtained show a lower prevalence of MG than MS in the studied farms. Moreover, both pathogens were spread in rural and commercial farms underlining the importance of surveillance and control of these infections.
Abstract
Mycoplasmas are recognized as avian pathogens, which may cause both respiratory disease and synovial infections in poultry, resulting in severe economic losses. Our study aims to determine the occurrence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) among commercial and rural laying hens located in Ragusa province (South Italy), using a duplex real time PCR. Four hundred tracheal swabs were collected from seven commercial (200 swabs) and 25 rural (200 swabs) farms without any clinical disease history. Out of 400 swabs collected, 50 (12.5%) and 93 (23.25%) were positive for MG and MS, respectively. In particular, 9 (18%) and 22 (23.65%) positive swabs for MG and MS, respectively, originated from commercial farms, compared to 41 (82%) and 71 (76.34%) obtained from rural farms. Data obtained show a lower prevalence of MG than MS in the studied farms. Moreover, both pathogens were spread in rural and commercial farms. PCR could be concluded as a rapid and sensitive method for the identification of MG and MS in areas where commercial farms that are declared Mycoplasma-free and rural flocks coexist. These data highlight the importance of surveillance also in rural poultry to monitoring the occurrence of mycoplasmas strains in strategic productive districts.
