Investigation of the genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates obtained from bovine mastitis in Tabriz city

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen that causes subclinical mastitis resistant to treatment in lactating dairy cows. Examination of the genetic pattern of isolates is necessary for the management of infections caused by this bacterium. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates obtained from bovine mastitis in Tabriz city. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, sampling was done from 200 cows suffering from mastitis in cattle farms in Tabriz city. After performing specific biochemical tests and staining, positive cases were used for molecular tests. From a total of 200 cases of cows suffering from mastitis, 90 isolates (45%) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were identified. The results of RAPD-PCR showed that 80 isolates (88.9%) of the studied samples could be typed with the primer used, and 10 isolates (10%) were not typed. The typed isolates were in 14 distinct groups and each one contained several samples of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Groups I and VII harboured the most isolates and groups IX, X and XII contained the least isolates. Based on the results, RAPD-PCR technique was found as a useful tool to investigate the genetic variation for P. aeruginosa strains. This technique is a rapid and low cost genotypic method with high discriminatory power. According to the results of this study, it is emphasized to control the sources of infection in mastitis caused by P. aeruginosa, in order to control and prevent the transmission of this bacterium.