IMPORTANCE OF PCR IN THE DETECTION OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS IN CATTLE IN THE URAL REGION

The aim of our work was to identify bacterial and viral infectious agents in
biological material from cows and calves with latent, asymptomatic and chronic
forms of the diseases by PCR. Biological samples from animals were sent to the
PCR laboratory from 23 agricultural organizations located in the Ural region. A
total of 808 samples were studied, of which genomes of pathogens were found in
11.9% of cases: Mycoplasma bovis in 2.4% of samples, RNA of the bovine diarrhea
virus in 2.3% of samples, DNA of Mycoplasma spp. and Chlamydia spp. in 2% of
samples, single isolates were represented by Mycoplasma bovigenitalium, Bovine
herpes virus (type 1), Chlamydophila abortus, Chlamydophila pecorum. All detected
pathogens were presented as monoinfections and mixed infections were single
(Bovine herpes virus, type 1 + Bovine virus diarrhoea + Mycoplasma bovigenitalium
+ Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium + Bovine virus diarrhoea,
Bovine herpes virus, type 1 + Bovine virus diarrhoea). The PCR method made it
possible to identify the genomes of pathogens in latent, asymptomatic forms and
chronic course of diseases in the Ural region.