Original scientific paper

Identification of Bacteria Brucella sp. by Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction

Sanja Duvnjak ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb
Silvio Špišić ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb
Maja Zdelar-Tuk ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb
Željko Cvetnić ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb

Abstract

Brucellae are facultative intracellular microorganisms, small, gram-negative, aerobic rods which cause brucellosis, an infectious disease of humans, domestic and wild animals. The most important species in human and veterinary medicine are: Brucella melitensis, Brucella suis, Brucella abortus, Brucella ovis and Brucella canis. Our goal was to compare the efficiency of classical bacteriological techniques and polymerase chain reaction in the identification of isolated Brucella sp. from animals and humans in the Republic of Croatia. The dentification was performed on 47 animal and human isolates that were serologicaly positive for brucellosis. Bacteriological identification was based on comparing the behaviour of isolated cultures with known behaviour patterns of reference strains. Polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the genus Brucella and specific species. This study proved the presence of different Brucella species in humans, domestic and wild animals in the Republic of Croatia as well as that the identification of these bacteria must be based on the combination of classical and molecular methods of diagnosis.

Keywords

brucellosis; bacteriology; molecular diagnostics; polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Hrčak ID:

30514

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/30514

Publication date:

3.9.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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