Direct Identification of Major Pathogens of the Bubaline Subclinical Mastitis in Egypt using PCR

The present study aimed to evaluate the PCR assays (using Universal and specific primers) for detection of the major pathogens of bubaline subclinical mastitis directly from 160 buffaloes milk samples compared to bacterial examination. The bacteriological examinations showed incidence of 23.75%, 15.62%, 3.12% and 0.62% for E. coli, S. aureus, S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae respectively. PCR was better in sensitivity and specificity than the conventional culture as it detected more positive results in culturally negative milk samples. The level of sensitivity achieved in our experiments (5x10 1 CFU/ml of milk) is applicable to milk sample analysis without sample enrichment. The results suggest that PCR assay especially the one working with universal primers could be used as an alternative method in routine diagnosis for rapid, sensitive, and specific simultaneous detection of E. coli, S. aureus, S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae in milk samples. [Journal of American Science 2010; 6(10):652-660]. (ISSN: 1545-1003).