Direct culture-independent sequence typing of Taylorella equigenitalis obtained from genital swabs and frozen semen samples from South African horses.
Abstract: We report herein the use of crude extracts obtained from samples of Taylorella equigenitalis-infected horses for the purpose of multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Samples (n = 36) were collected from horses in South Africa from 1996 to 2017: 34 from genital swabs (stored at -20°C for 2-3 y) and 2 from cryopreserved raw semen aliquots (stored at -70°C for 18 y) prior to assay. The MLST assay showed a single sequence type (ST), designated ST4, that supported a point introduction and thus a common source for the South African outbreak of contagious equine metritis.
Publication Date: 2019-08-17 PubMed ID: 31423914PubMed Central: PMC6727116DOI: 10.1177/1040638719871089Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article focuses on identifying the sequence type of the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis present in samples collected from South African horses using a Multi-locus Sequence Typing (MLST) assay.
Objective of the Study
- The primary aim of the research was to apply the Multi-locus Sequence Typing (MLST) assay to crude extracts obtained from infected horses. These extracts were specifically from genital swabs and frozen semen samples. Horses residing in South Africa, from the period of 1996 to 2017, were the sample source.
Methods and Data Collection
- The team collected a total of 36 samples. 34 samples were obtained from genital swabs of the horses, stored at -20°C for an estimated duration of 2-3 years. The remaining two samples were extracted from cryopreserved raw semen aliquots which were maintained at -70°C for approximately 18 years prior to the experiment.
Key Findings
- The application of the MLST assay led to a significant finding: there was only one sequence type (ST) present. This sequence type was labeled ST4.
- The identification of a single sequence type led to the conclusion that a point introduction took place. This suggests that there was a common source from where the bacterium spread, leading to the South African outbreak of contagious equine metritis, a sexually transmitted infectious disease in horses caused by Taylorella equigenitalis.
Significance of the Research
- The findings are significant as they offer insights into the spread and origin of the infectious disease in South African horses. Understanding this could help in developing better prevention and treatment methods for contagious equine metritis.
- The application of the MLST assay in this research also proves that the technique can be successfully applied even to DNA samples that have been preserved for long periods.
Cite This Article
APA
May CE, Guthrie AJ, Schulman ML.
(2019).
Direct culture-independent sequence typing of Taylorella equigenitalis obtained from genital swabs and frozen semen samples from South African horses.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 31(5), 792-794.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638719871089 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Section of Reproduction, Department of Production Animal Studies (May, Schulman), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
- Equine Research Centre (Guthrie), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
- Section of Reproduction, Department of Production Animal Studies (May, Schulman), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
- Equine Research Centre (Guthrie), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
- Section of Reproduction, Department of Production Animal Studies (May, Schulman), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
- Equine Research Centre (Guthrie), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- DNA, Bacterial / analysis
- Female
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / diagnosis
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Male
- Multilocus Sequence Typing / veterinary
- Reproductive Tract Infections / microbiology
- Reproductive Tract Infections / veterinary
- Semen / microbiology
- South Africa
- Taylorella equigenitalis / isolation & purification
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
This article includes 20 references
- Aalsburg AM. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotyping of Taylorella equigenitalis isolates collected in the United States from 1978 to 2010. J Clin Microbiol 2011;49:829–833.
- Blacket MJ. Universal primers for fluorescent labelling of PCR fragments—an efficient and cost-effective approach to genotyping by fluorescence. Mol Ecol Resour 2012;12:456–463.
- Crowhurst R. Genital infection in mares. Vet Rec 1977;100:476–476.
- Duquesne F. Development of a single multi-locus sequence typing scheme for Taylorella equigenitalis and Taylorella asinigenitalis. Vet Microbiol 2013;167:609–618.
- Duquesne F. Identification of Taylorella equigenitalis responsible for contagious equine metritis in equine genital swabs by direct polymerase chain reaction. Res Vet Sci 2007;82:47–49.
- Erdman MM. Diagnostic and epidemiologic analysis of the 2008–2010 investigation of a multi-year outbreak of contagious equine metritis in the United States. Prev Vet Med 2011;101:219–228.
- Guthrie A. Lateral transmission of equine arteritis virus among Lipizzaner stallions in South Africa. Equine Vet J 2003;35:596–600.
- Hébert L. Genome sequence of Taylorella equigenitalis MCE9, the causative agent of contagious equine metritis. J Bacteriol 2011:1785.
- Hébert L. Genomic characterization of the Taylorella genus. PLoS One 2012;7:1–13.
- Jeoung H-Y. First isolation of Taylorella equigenitalis from thoroughbred horses in South Korea. J Equine Vet Sci 2016;47:42–46.
- Luddy S. Contagious equine metritis within the United States: a review of the 2008 outbreak. J Equine Vet Sci 2010;30:393–400.
- Matsuda M. Recent advances in molecular epidemiology and detection of Taylorella equigenitalis associated with contagious equine metritis (CEM). Vet Microbiol 2003;97:111–122.
- May CE. Polymerase chain reaction-based national surveillance programme to determine the distribution and prevalence of Taylorella equigenitalis in South African horses. Equine Vet J 2015;48:307–311.
- Ricketts S. Contagious equine metritis organism confirmed in Gloucestershire. Vet Rec 2012;170:398–398.
- Rocha T. Contagious equine metritis in Portugal: a retrospective report of the first outbreak in the country and recent contagious equine metritis test results. Open Vet J 2016;6:263–267.
- Schulman ML. Contagious equine metritis: artificial reproduction changes the epidemiologic paradigm. Vet Microbiol 2013;167:2–8.
- Sting R. Genotyping of German and Austrian Taylorella equigenitalis isolates using repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Res Vet Sci 2016;109:101–106.
- Sugimoto C. Transfer of Haemophilus equigenitalis Taylor et al. 1978 to the genus Taylorella gen. nov. as Taylorella equigenitalis comb. nov.. Curr Microbiol 1983;9:155–162.
- Timoney P. Horse species symposium: contagious equine metritis: an insidious threat to the horse breeding industry in the United States. J Anim Sci 2011;89:1552–1560.
- Wakeley P. Development of a real time PCR for the detection of Taylorella equigenitalis directly from genital swabs and discrimination from Taylorella asinigenitalis. Vet Microbiol 2006;118:247–254.
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Scholtz M, Guthrie AJ, Newton R, Schulman ML. Review of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae as venereal pathogens in horses. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):587-597.
- Mawhinney I, Bollard A. Enhanced detection of Taylorella equigenitalis by qPCR using 'Dry' swabs. J Equine Sci 2023 Mar;34(1):7-12.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
