Open Access
Issue
Vet. Res.
Volume 37, Number 6, November-December 2006
Page(s) 779 - 790
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/vetres:2006037
Published online 15 September 2006
How to cite this article Vet. Res. (2006) 779-790
Vet. Res. 37 (2006) 779-790
DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2006037

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC can be grouped into a single subspecies

Edy M. Vilei, Bozena M. Korczak and Joachim Frey

Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Universität Bern, Länggass-Strasse 122, Postfach, 3001 Bern, Switzerland

(Received 6 February 2006; accepted 10 May 2006; published online 15 September 2006)

Abstract - Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC can be combined into one taxon on the basis of several contributions on both DNA sequence and protein analyses reported in the literature. Moreover, for the differentiation and identification of mycoplasmas of the "mycoides cluster", we investigated the rpoB gene, encoding the $\beta$-subunit of the RNA polymerase. A segment of 527 bp of the rpoB gene was amplified from 31 strains of ruminant mycoplasmas by PCR. The nucleotide sequences were determined and aligned, and accurate genetic relationships were calculated. Cluster analysis of rpoB DNA allowed species differentiation within the "mycoides cluster" and confirmed that M. mycoides subsp. capri and M. mycoides subsp. mycoides LC cannot be distinguished from each other. "Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri" is proposed as a common name for both subspecies


Key words: Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri / Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC / ruminant mycoplasmoses / taxon / serovar

Corresponding author: edy.vilei@vbi.unibe.ch

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2006