EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS AND NATURAL OUTBREAKS OF EPERYTHROZOONOSIS IN PIGS IDENTIFIED BY PCR-DNA HYBRIDIZATIONS

Eperythrozoon-specific DNA amplification reactions and subsequent hybridizations with an eperythrozoon DNA probe (KSU-2) were used in experimental infection studies to identify Eperythrozoon suis DNA in the blood of splenectomized and nonsplenectomized pigs. The results indicate that E. suis DNA is present in nonsplenectomized pigs at levels that can be amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and identified in DNA hybridizations within 24 hours after infection. The ability of the E. suis PCR/hybridization assay to detect eperythrozoonosis was further demonstrated in blood samples collected from pigs in 2 separate natural outbreaks in Oklahoma. Results from these initial samplings indicate that pigs infected with E. suis from geographically distinct locations can be identified using the eperythrozoon-specific PCR/hybridization assay, which offers many advantages over conventional laboratory procedures for diagnosing eperythrozoonosis in pigs.