Assessment of the effectiveness of the PPD-mallein produced in Brazil for diagnosing glanders in mules

Abstract

To assess the potency of the PPD-mallein produced in Brazil, five animals were from a property identified as a focus of glanders. These animals had suggestive clinical signs of the disease and the other five, from a property free from glanders, showed no clinical signs and were serology negative (control group). PPD-mallein from Burkholderia mallei was obtained by precipitation with trichloroacetic acid and ammonium sulfate. The animals were inoculated according to the criteria established by Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) for the diagnosis of glanders. After 48 h of application of PPD-mallein, there was swelling in the area of application, presence of ocular secretion and tears in sick animals. The control group showed no inflammatory reaction at the site of inoculation of PPD-mallein. This immunogen produced in Brazil and still being tested was effective for identifying the infection in true positive animals and excluding the truly negative ones, being a new possibility for diagnosis and control of glanders

Use of the Common Marmoset to Study Burkholderia mallei Infection

“…Symptoms in animals infected with medium, medium-high, and high doses consisted of subdued behavior (decreased vocalizations and limp tails), lethargy, inappetence, decreased water intake, decreased grooming behavior with piloerection (rough coats), ocular and nasal discharges, conjunctivitis, tachypnea (increased respiratory rate), and dyspnea (difficulty breathing with abdominal lifts). Natural cases of glanders in humans and other animals exhibit many of these signs, namely malaise, excessive lacrimation (tearing), nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, tachypnea, and dyspnea [ 1 , 6 , 7 , 12 – 16 , 18 , 45 , 46 ]. These hallmarks also have been reported in murine and equine experimental models of glanders [ 26 , 27 , 31 ].…”

“…However, glanders is notorious for its varied clinical presentation. In natural cases of infection, it is not uncommon to see localized disease, disseminated disease, or even local disease that rapidly progresses to dissemination [ 1 , 6 , 7 , 12 – 16 , 18 , 45 , 46 ]. Marmoset D37 had obvious nasopharyngeal lesions ( Table 3 ), thus we suspect that bacteria disseminated directly from these lesions to the liver and spleen via the circulatory system.…”

Seroprevalence of equine glanders in horses in the central and eastern parts of Mongolia

“…The diagnosis of glanders in horses is problematic, especially during the early stages of infection, in which infected horses do not show outward symptoms [9]. The mallein skin test [2,3,8,24] (allergic hypersensitivity test) has been widely used in conventional field tests. However, due to animal welfare concerns, this test is not currently recommended [26].…”

“…Equine glanders are fatal zoonotic bacterial infectious diseases caused by Burkholderia mallei . B. mallei primarily affects horses [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 18 , 28 , 34 ], donkeys [ 21 , 30 ], and mules [ 2 ]. Glanders has been eradicated in Western Europe, Great Britain, the United States of America and Canada.…”

“…However, the disease has re-emerged in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. For instance, outbreaks of glanders have recently been reported in Bahrain [ 32 ], Brazil [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 21 ], Pakistan [ 7 ], India [ 17 , 18 , 30 ], Turkey [ 1 ], and Iran [ 10 , 19 ].…”