Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Zoonotic Brucella spp. Recovered from Livestock in Egypt Using Multiple Locus VNTR Analysis
ملخص البحث
Brucellosis is endemic in most parts of Egypt, where it is caused mainly by Brucella melitensis biovar 3, and affects cattle and small
ruminants in spite of ongoing efforts devoted to its control. Knowledge of the predominant Brucella species/strains circulating
in a region is a prerequisite of a brucellosis control strategy. For this reason a study aiming at the evaluation of the phenotypic
and genetic heterogeneity of a panel of 17 Brucella spp. isolates recovered from domestic ruminants (cattle, buffalo, sheep, and
goat) from four governorates during a period of five years (2002–2007) was carried out using microbiological tests and molecular
biology techniques (PCR, MLVA-15, and sequencing). Thirteen strains were identified as B. melitensis biovar 3 while all phenotypic
and genetic techniques classified the remaining isolates as B. abortus (𝑛 = 2) and B. suis biovar 1 (𝑛 = 2). MLVA-15 yielded a high
discriminatory power (ℎ = 0.801), indicating a high genetic diversity among the B. melitensis strains circulating among domestic
ruminants in Egypt. This is the first report of the isolation of B. suis from cattle in Egypt which, coupled with the finding of B.
abortus, suggests a potential role of livestock as reservoirs of several zoonotic Brucella species in the region.
الكلمات المفتاحيه
Brucella