Mycoplasma felis PCR test
dog and cat assay data sheet
Mycoplasma felis
Test code:
B0050 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of
Mycoplasma felis by real
time polymerase chain reaction
B0050 is included
on P0020 - feline respiratory
panel
Mycoplasma
species are part of the normal flora of the conjunctiva and upper
respiratory tract of cats. However, some of these mycoplasmas can
cause feline diseases such as feline conjunctivitis, lower respiratory
tract infections, and polyarthritis. Among them,
Mycoplasma felis has been
shown to be one of the probable causes of feline conjunctivitis and
respiratory diseases. It is imperative that the
Mycoplasma species be
correctly identified so that the appropriate treatment is given
earlier. For example, there are many causes of feline conjunctivitis
and discharge from the eyes. These include allergy, bacterial
infections (especially Chlamydia
psittaci), fungal infections and other viral infections
(especially feline calicivirus). Treatment of viral or fungal
infection with antibiotics will not aid recovery.
Conventional
detection of Mycoplasma
felis in cases of feline conjunctivitis and ulcerative
keratitis has been based on clinical presentation, which is not
entirely reliable because of overlapping symptoms with other
pathogens. Staining of corneal scrapings to detect small basophilic
inclusion bodies in epithelial cells is not specific for
Mycoplasma; culture of
clinical specimens is not a very sensitive test because these bacteria
do not remain viable for very long after specimen collection.
Identification of M. felis
in clinical samples is usually performed by initial cultivation of
"fried egg-shaped” colonies on mycoplasma-specific media in 2–3 days.
This is followed by biochemical testing to confirm glucose
fermentation, absence of arginine hydrolysis, digitonin sensitivity
and phosphatase activity. Confirmation of
M. felis identification to
the species level is then achieved by either growth inhibition with
specific anti-sera, fluorescent antibody staining, or use of an
immunobinding assay. Additional serological testing can confirm a
recent or active infection by detecting rising antibody titers to
M. felis with an indirect
haemagglutination assay. These testing methodologies are cumbersome
and expensive when all costs are added up. However, molecular
detection by PCR is the most sensitive and specific way of detecting
the bacteria. It is also much faster than culture.
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
-
Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical
diagnosis of Mycoplasma felis
infection
-
Help ensure that cat populations are free of
M. felis
-
Early prevention of spread of
M. felis among a group
of cats
-
Minimize human exposure to
M. felis
Specimen
requirement:
Conjunctival swab or throat swab.
Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.
For all specimen
types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm
weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack
unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen
specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See
shipping instructions for more
information.
Turnaround
time:
2 business days
Methodology:
Qualitative real time
PCR
Normal range:
Nondetected
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