RESUMO
The aim of this study was identification of the epidemiology of Prototbeca zopfu species from the milk samples of dairy cattle in Isfahan, central Iran. Milk samples were obtained from 230 daily cattle, 130 with and 100 without mastitis, in Isfahan. The samples were cultured in Prototbeca Isolation Medium [PIM] and Sabouraud's dextrose agar. All P. zopfu isolates were identified by morphological and biochemical methods. Then, as a confirmatory test they wrere examined by genotype-specific PCR. Four P. zopfu strains [3.07° o] were isolated from the 130 samples of dairy cattle with clinical mastitis and there was no isolation from totally 100 samples of healthy bovines without mastitis. Specific PCR product [about 946 bp] was detected in four isolates. It seems that P. zopfu genotype II plays a key role in affecting bovine mastitis that confirmed other previous studies. Our study was the first, which identified the Prototheca species by traditional and molecular methods in Iran and Middle East as well