Detection of Mollicutes in tank milk from Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador

Abstract

There are several Mollicutes species that can produce mastitis. These infectious agents include Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma canadense, Mycoplasma californicum, as well as Mycoplasma alkalences, Mycoplasma bovirhinis and Mycoplasma bovigenitalium. The objective of the present study was to detect the presence of Mollicutes in tank milk from herds in the Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador.  For the selection of the herds, a zoning was carried out in blocks of 25 km², according to their ecological conditions (conglomerates). The number of herds for the study was determined by the EpiData program, for a 95 % confidence and a 5 % error. Sampling was carried out between May 2015 and December 2016, and the clusters of each canton to which the sampling was made were randomly chosen. In the selected herds, a milk sample (10 ml in sterile tube) was collected from each collection tank. Samples were analyzed by PCR with 16S rRNA universal primers of the Mollicutes class. In addition, the samples were analyzed by PCR with specific primers to detect the presence of M. bovis. Of the 143 herds researched, 25.87 % tested positive to Mollicutes (37/143 samples). However, the 37 samples positive to Mycoplasma spp. were negative to M. bovis. The results suggest the presence of other Mollicutes species in the herds.