Polymerase chain reaction typing of Pasteurella multocida capsules isolated in Iran

Summary Capsules from a range of pathogenic bacteria are the key determinants of virulency. The capsule has been implicated in virulence of Pasteurella multocida. In this study a type-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used for capsular typing of 39 avian P. multocida isolates from Iran. The PCR amplified a fragment of 1044 bp from all of tested isolates. It was found that all avian P. multocida isolates belonged to capsular type A. The sequence alignment of the fragment showed a high similarity (>96%) with the published sequences of P. multocida hya gene in the Gene Bank. It was recognised that P. multocida capsular group A is the dominant cause of fowl cholera in Iran.