Standardization of RS-PCR technique for typing of Corynebacterium species isolated from swine and cattle

• Grant number: 18/00514-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2018
• End date: March 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Luisa Zanolli Moreno
• Grantee: Letícia Silvestre Damaceno
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Corynebacterium genus is found in several ecological niches, such as soil and sewage, besides being commonly isolated from different animal species. The zoonotic character of several toxigenic species of the genus has been described in the literature. In pigs, although poorly studied, there are reports of isolation of Corynebacterium species, mainly of the upper respiratory and genitourinary tract. In cattle, the C. bovis species is most frequently related to mastitis. Due to the fastidious nature of isolation and the great variability of the genus, the correct identification of the respective species is a challenge that usually requires gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The aim of the present study is to characterize strains of Corynebacterium spp. isolated from different clinical samples of swine and cattle by the RS-PCR technique. The strains were previously identified by the MALDI-TOF MS technique. The species identification will be confirmed by 16S rRNA and rpoB phylogenetic analysis. The RS-PCR technique will be standardized for Corynebacterium species typing from control strains and applied to clinical strains of Corynebacterium spp. isolated from pigs and cattle. Thus, it will be possible to identify the corynebacteria species capable of causing infection in swine and cattle by a faster and easier technique so that the study of the epidemiology of the infection in animals could be enhanced in order to ascertain the real frequency and distribution of the species of the genus that cause disease. (AU)