Isolation of Moraxella bovoculi from racehorses with keratoconjunctivitis.
Abstract: Moraxella bovoculi was isolated and identified in ocular fluid samples collected from 9 racehorses with infectious keratoconjunctivitis in China in 2013. All 9 M. bovoculi isolates were hemolytic, Gram-negative diplococci that were phenylalanine deaminase positive. The sequence of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene of the isolates matched the 16S rDNA sequence of M. bovoculi. Amplification of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region followed by AfaI digestion produced a 600-base pair product, a result characteristic of M. bovoculi isolates. The phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rDNA sequence confirmed the strain isolated in the current study had genetic homology with M. bovoculi.
Publication Date: 2014-06-07 PubMed ID: 24903634DOI: 10.1177/1040638714535601Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research identified a bacteria called Moraxella bovoculi in eye fluid samples from racehorses in China who had infectious eye inflammation.
Study Details and Methodology
- The study was conducted in 2013 and involved racehorses in China that had infectious keratoconjunctivitis, an inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye.
- The researchers collected ocular fluid samples from 9 horses for the purpose of identifying the pathogen causing the disease.
Isolation and Identification of Moraxella bovoculi
- The study managed to isolate and identify the bacteria Moraxella bovoculi from the samples collected from the diseased horses.
- M. bovoculi are gram-negative diplococci, indicating the bacteria is round, exists in pairs, and does not retain the crystal violet stain used in gram staining, a technique to classify bacteria into two large groups (Gram positive and Gram negative).
- All nine isolated bacteria were found to be hemolytic, meaning they had the ability to break down red blood cells, and they were phenylalanine deaminase positive, signifying they could break down the amino acid phenylalanine.
DNA Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis
- The researchers conducted a sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene of the isolated bacteria. The sequence matched the 16S rDNA sequence of M. bovoculi, further confirming its identity.
- An amplification of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region followed by AfaI digestion produced a 600-base pair product. This is characteristic of M. bovoculi isolates.
- A phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rDNA sequence confirmed that the strain isolated in the current study had genetic homology with M. bovoculi. This means that the genetic material of the isolated bacteria was closely similar to that of known M. bovoculi strains.
In conclusion, this study successfully identified M. bovoculi as the causative agent of infectious keratoconjunctivitis in the examined racehorses, providing valuable insight for understanding and treating this disease.
Cite This Article
APA
Liu H, Yan J, Wang Y, Yan Q, Zhao L, Yan R, He H.
(2014).
Isolation of Moraxella bovoculi from racehorses with keratoconjunctivitis.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 26(4), 585-587.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638714535601 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
- National Research Center for Wildlife-borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu, J Yan, Q Yan, He), P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (Liu), P.R. China.
- General Station of Animal Husbandry of Beijing (Wang), P.R. China.
- Henan Center for Animal Disease Control & Prevention, Animal Husbandry Bureau of Henan Province, Zhengzhou (R Yan), P.R. China.
- Zhengzhou Zhongdao Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Zhao), P.R. China.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- China
- DNA, Bacterial / genetics
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Keratoconjunctivitis, Infectious / diagnosis
- Keratoconjunctivitis, Infectious / microbiology
- Moraxella / classification
- Moraxella / genetics
- Moraxella / isolation & purification
- Moraxellaceae Infections / diagnosis
- Moraxellaceae Infections / microbiology
- Moraxellaceae Infections / veterinary
- Phylogeny
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Yalcin S, Cigerci IS, Ozgen A, Cengiz S. Genetic diversity, virulence genes, and antimicrobial resistance of Moraxella bovoculi and Moraxella bovis from infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis: insights from MALDI-TOF-MS, 16S rRNA analyses, and other ocular bacteria. Vet Res Commun 2025 Nov 27;50(1):53.
- Karthik K, Anbazhagan S, Chitra MA, Sridhar R. First report of the whole genome of Moraxella bovoculi genotype 1 from India and comparative genomics of Moraxella bovoculi to identify genotype-specific markers. Arch Microbiol 2022 Oct 6;204(11):663.
- Seeger MG, Corrêa LFD, Clothier KA, Loy JD, Cargnelutti JF. Isolation of Moraxella spp. from horses with conjunctivitis in Southern Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2021 Sep;52(3):1643-1648.
- Gomez DE, Arroyo LG, Lillie B, Weese JS. Nasal bacterial microbiota during an outbreak of equine herpesvirus 1 at a farm in southern Ontario. Can J Vet Res 2021 Jan;85(1):3-11.
- Dickey AM, Schuller G, Loy JD, Clawson ML. Whole genome sequencing of Moraxella bovoculi reveals high genetic diversity and evidence for interspecies recombination at multiple loci. PLoS One 2018;13(12):e0209113.
- Dickey AM, Loy JD, Bono JL, Smith TP, Apley MD, Lubbers BV, DeDonder KD, Capik SF, Larson RL, White BJ, Blom J, Chitko-McKown CG, Clawson ML. Large genomic differences between Moraxella bovoculi isolates acquired from the eyes of cattle with infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis versus the deep nasopharynx of asymptomatic cattle. Vet Res 2016 Feb 13;47:31.
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