Evaluation of isoenzyme patterns for identification of pathogenic poultry Mycoplasmas

ABSTRACT

Electrophoretic analysis of isoenzymes in 8 enzymatic systems were used for differentiation of 4 isolates of chicken Mycoplasmas including two strains of M gallisepticum, one strain of M. gallinarum and one unknown isolate in comparison with a vaccinal strain of M agalactiae that basically is a pathogen in small ruminants. The enzymatic systems were lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], glucose dehydrogenase [G1DH], glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD], galactose dehydrogenase [GalDH], 6 phosphogluconate dehydrogenase [6PGDH], malic enzyme [ME], glucose phosphate isomerase [GPI] and alkaline phosphatase [AP]. The number of isoenzyme patterns obtained for LDH, G1DH, G6PD, GalDH, 6PGDH, ME, GPI and AP enzymatic systems were 2, 3, 2, 4, 2, 3, 3 and 0, respectively. Except AP enzyme system which is not active in Mycoplasma species, it is concluded that isoenzyme pattern of 7 other studied enzymatic systems, could differentiate between chicken Mycoplasmas and the small ruminant's strain. Based on the isoenzyme patterns of GalDH system, 2 strains of M gallisepticum were differentiated from M. gallinarum and the unknown isolate. Isoenzyme patterns of ME system was able to differentiate M gallinarum from the other chicken isolates. The isoenzyme patterns of GPI system were different for the two strains of M gallisepticum. The isoenzyme patterns of GalDH, GPI and ME systems, showed that the unknown strain of chicken Mycoplasma is a strain of M gallisepticum and it is closely related to one of the known M. gallisepticum isolates