A multiplex PCR assay for molecular capsular serotyping of Mannheimia haemolytica serotypes 1, 2, and 6.

Mannheimia haemolytica is an important respiratory pathogen of ruminants. Of the 12 capsular serovars identified, 1 and 6 are most frequently associated with disease in cattle, while 2 is largely a commensal. Comparative analysis of 24 M. haemolytica genomes was used to identify unique genes associated with capsular polysaccharide synthesis as amplification targets in a multiplex PCR assay to discriminate between serotype 1, 2, and 6 strains. The specificity of serotype specific gene targets was evaluated against 47 reference strains representing 12 known serovars of M. haemolytica and 101 field isolates identified through antisera agglutination as serotypes 1, 2, or 6. The results suggest this simple and cost-effective serotype specific PCR assay can be used as an alternative to agglutination based techniques to serotype the majority of M. haemolytica collected from bovines, thus averting the need to use animals and invest in expensive sera development for agglutination assays. In addition, the gene targets identified in this study can be used in silico to identify serotype 1, 2, and 6 strains in sequenced M. haemolytica isolates without the need for culture based analysis.