A robust PCR for the differentiation of potential virulent strains of Haemophilus parasuis

摘要

Background Haemophilus parasuis is the etiological agent of Glässer’s disease in swine. H. parasuis comprises strains with heterogeneous virulence capacity, from non-virulent to highly virulent. Determination of the pathogenic potential of the strains is important for diagnosis and disease control. The virulence-associated trimeric autotransporters (vtaA) genes have been used to predict H. parasuis virulence by PCR amplification of their translocator domains. Here, we report a new and improved PCR designed to detect a different domain of the vtaA genes, the leader sequence (LS) as a diagnostic tool to predict virulence.