Development of a multiplex PCR for the identification of Staphylococcus spp. as a cause of caprine mastitis

Abstract

"Mastitis" refers to inflammation of the mammary gland. Despite the economic losses that it causes in dairy goats, there is scarce information about the epidemiological status of the disease in Mexico. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to diagnose Staphylococcus agents involved in caprine mastitis. Milk samples from animals in intensive and semi-intensive production systems were taken from two farms located at Tequisquiapan, Queretaro, Mexico. The samples were obtained from healthy goats. The multiplex PCR was developed to identify coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and S. aureus. To achieve the identification of Staphylococcus spp, primers for the 16s rRNA region were used. Another two pair of primers were used for S. aureus, the first pair corresponded to the clfA gene and the second pair corresponded to the S. aureus coa gene. Multiplex PCR was performed in 30 milk samples and it was possible to detect S. aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Further studies are needed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this technique.