Development and evaluation of a PCR-based assay for detection of Haemobartonella felis in cats and differentiation of H. felis from related bacteria by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

ABSTRACT: The 16S rRNA gene of Haemobartonella felis was amplified by using universal eubacterial primers and was subsequently cloned and sequenced. Based on this sequence data, we designed a set of H. felis-specific primers. These primers selectively amplified a 1,316-bp DNA fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of H. felis from each of four experimentally infected cats at peak parasitemia. No PCR product was amplified from purified DNA of Eperythrozoon suis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Bartonella bacilliformis. Blood from the experimental cats prior to infection was negative for PCR products and was greatly diminished or absent 1 month after doxycycline treatment. The overall sequence identity of this fragment varied by less than 1.0% among experimentally infected cats. By taking into consideration the sec

SUBMITTER: Messick JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC104560 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature