PCR for the detection of Streptobacillus moniliformis.

Streptobacillus moniliformis is a Gram-negative bacterium found in various laboratory animal species and is the cause of rat bite fever and Haverhill fever in man. In order to evaluate a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of this zoonotic bacterium in animal tissues a set of primers was designed based on the DNA base sequence of part of the 16S rRNA gene from 11 S. moniliformis strains.

Transmission of rat and guineapig Haemophilus spp. to mice and rats.

Mice and rats, free from Pasteurellaceae, were exposed to Haemophilus spp. (V-factor dependent Pasteurellaceae) by housing in proximity to infected rats or guinea pigs, and monitored by culture and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for cross infection. A minority of mice became infected when exposed to Haemophilus-infected rats but none when exposed to guinea pigs.

Comparison of assays for antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits.

Two indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assays, two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and the carbon immunoassay (CIA) for determination of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi were compared using 210 sera of rabbits, 135 of which originated from seven infected colonies, while 75 originated from four uninfected colonies. There was no evidence of a difference between the different assays with respect to the number of positive sera. There was a clear correlation between the quantitative response measured by IIF and CIA and the other assays, and between both IIF tests, while no such correlation was found in the quantitative response measured by ELISAs, which might be explained by the less quantitative nature of the ELISA.

Serological relationship of some V-factor dependent Pasteurellaceae (Haemophilus sp.) from guineapigs and rabbits.

Culture of guinea pig and rabbit respiratory tracts for bacteria using X- (haemin) and V- (NAD) factor in agar media detected infection by V-factor dependent Pasteurellaceae (Haemophilus sp.) in three colonies of guinea pigs and a group of rabbits. The 12 Haemophilus strains comprised three API NH codes classed as Haemophilus parainfluenzae and two codes classed as Haemophilus aphrophilus/paraphrophilus.

Growth medium affects the cellular fatty acid composition of Pasteurellaceae.

We studied the cellular fatty acid composition of 10 Actinobacillus (A.) and Pasteurella (P.) reference strains grown on 2 types of agar by the MIDI Microbial Identification System (MIS).