Mycoplasma haemocanis PCR test
dog and cat assay data sheet
Mycoplasma haemocanis (formerly
Haemobartonella canis)
Test code:
B0048 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of
Mycoplasma haemocanis by
real time polymerase chain reaction
Mycoplasma
haemocanis
(formerly Haemobartonella canis)
is a red blood cell parasite that causes disease mainly in
immunosuppressed and splenectomized dogs. Clinical outbreaks of the
disease occasionally occur.
Similar to
Mycoplasma haemofelis, the
bacteria can be transmitted from one animal to another by
blood-feeding arthropods such as fleas and ticks.
M. haemocanis infection is
a widespread latent disease in kennel-raised dogs and infection rates
can vary from approximately 30 % to 87 %. Although treatment of
infected dogs with antibiotics may control acute infection,
antibiotics cannot completely clear the bacteria in the blood,
resulting in many infected dogs becoming carriers.
Mycoplasma
haemocanis
has not been successfully grown in agar or cell cultures due to its
fastidious growth requirements. Traditionally, diagnosis relied on
microscopic identification of organisms attached to the surfaces of
erythrocytes in Wright-Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smears.
However, this method not only lacks sensitivity but also is not
adequately specific because the morphology of
M. haemocanis can easily
be confused with other microorganisms such as rickettsia. Molecular
detection by PCR is the most sensitive and specific way of detecting
M. haemocanis in the
blood of infected dogs having both acute and latent infections, even
during challenge with immunosuppressive drugs which would prevent
detection by serological techniques.
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
-
Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical
diagnosis of Mycoplasma
haemocanis infection
-
Help ensure that dog populations are free of
M. haemocanis
-
Early prevention of spread of
M. haemocanis among a
group of dogs
-
Minimize human exposure to
M. haemocanis
Specimen
requirement: 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube.
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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