Detection and Identification of Acinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

Traditional serologic assays of Actinobacillus pleuropeumoniae often have problems with cross-reactivity. To avoid the complications of antibody-antigen reactions, a PCR assay was developed to detect Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and identify serotype 5 strains. Primers specific to the conserved capsular export region of A. pleuropneumoniae amplified a 0.7 kb DNA band in all strains with the exception of serotype 4. A second set of primers specific to the unique capsular biosynthesis region of serotype 5 amplified a unique 1.1 kb band for serotype 5 only. The sensitivity of this assay was determined to be less than 100 colony forming units. This PCR assay enables us to detect A. pleuronpeumoniae and definitively distinguishes serotype 5 strains from other serotyes.