ARS | Publication request: RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM ANALYSIS OF MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS ISOLATED FROM CAPTIVE AND WILD ANIMALS

Submitted to: American Society of Microbiologists Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 23, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Isolates of Mycobacterium bovis from cattle, captive elk, wild mule deer & coyotes were examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. DNA extracted from each isolate was digested with restriction endonucleases AluI and PvuII. DNA probes used for Southern hybridizations were a 37-base oligonucleotide specific for the the insertion sequence IS6110 and a plasmid, pTBN12, which contains a polymorphic GC-rich repetitive sequence present in several species of mycobacteria. Generally, M. bovis isolates originating from a single herd of either cattle or elk had similar RFLP patterns, while isolates from unrelated sources had distinct patterns. The RFLP patters for M. bovis isolated from wild mule deer and coyotes were identical to patterns observed for isolates from a captive elk herd that was located in the area where the wild animals were found. These results indicate that the captive elk herd may have been the source of M. bovis that infected the wild animals. Results of this study show that RFLP analysis is a useful tool for differentiation of M. bovis isolates and for molecular epidemiology studies to determine possible sources of infection in tuberculosis cases in animals.