Molecular Survey and Phylogenetic Analyses of Canine Hemoplasma Species in Different Parts of Türkiye.

PURPOSE: Canine hemoplasma species, Mycoplasma haemocanis and Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum, have been identified in various parts of the world. These pathogens can lead to mild to severe infections, even death, in dogs. To date, several pathogens caused clinical infection in dog have been detected in Türkiye, but limited data are present about canine hemoplasma species in the country. The aim of this study was to investigate canine hemoplasma species in different parts of Türkiye, and to perform phylogenetic analyses of positive samples.

METHODS

In the current work, 300 dog blood samples were obtained from different parts of Türkiye. DNA extraction was obtained from blood samples with a commercial kit. The obtained DNA was researched in terms of the presence of canine hemoplasma species with species-specific PCR assay. Partial parts of 16S rRNA gene of randomly selected six samples, three positive samples for each pathogen, were sequenced.

RESULTS

PCR assay revealed that 3.67% of animals (11/300) were infected with canine hemoplasma species. The prevalence of M. haemocanis and Ca. Mycoplasma haematoparvum was determined as 2% (6/300) and 0.67% (2/300), respectively. Co-infection rate was 1% (3/300). After DNA sequence analyses obtained consensus sequences were uploaded to the GenBank under accession numbers: PV798019-PV798021 (M. haemocanis) and PV798022-PV798024 (Ca. Mycoplasma haematoparvum). BLAST analysis revealed 98.44-100% nucleotide similarity between M. haemocanis isolates identified in this work and other M. haemocanis isolates. The 97.41-100% nucleotide identities were seen between our Ca. Mycoplasma haematoparvum isolates and other Ca. Mycoplasma haematoparvum isolates present in the GenBank.

CONCLUSION

Considering that these two species may cause clinical infection in both animals and humans, it is thought that veterinarians and physicians living in the region should take the necessary precautions to reduce the harmful effects of M. haemocanis and Ca. Mycoplasma haematoparvum.