Research provides recommendations that will improve the monitoring system for detection of mycoplasmas

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia on research that provides recommendations that will improve the monitoring system for detection of mycoplasmas. The project is part of the Association's comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing.
In a research project funded by the USPOULTRY Foundation, Dr. Naola Ferguson-Noel, University of Georgia, determined the effects of transport media type and sample swab type on the sensitivity of the real-time PCR for MS and MG. Her recommendations will help improve the sensitivity of the test and provide standardization to sample collection and transport.
Control of the most important avian mycoplasmas, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is of great importance to the poultry industry. All breeding flocks are intensively sampled to detect mycoplasma infection. Methods for testing samples have become more sophisticated as new technologies have been adopted. Today real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is becoming an increasingly used technique, because it is extremely sensitive and fast and can be adapted to high throughput processes.