First molecular detection of Mycoplasma suis in the pig louse Haematopinus suis (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) from Argentina

ACOSTA, DIANA; RUIZ, MELANIE; SANCHEZ, JULIANA PATRICIA

ACTA TROPICA

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 p. 165 - 168

0001-706X

Porcine haemoplasmosis caused by Mycoplasma suis affects the global pig industry with significanteconomic losses. The main transmission route of M. suis is through the blood and some haematophagous arthropods,like flies and mosquitoes, could be the vectors to this pathogen. However, thepresence of M. suis in pig haematophagousectoparasites in natural conditions has not yet been studied. The most frequentectoparasite in pigs is the blood-sucking louse Haematopinus suis, an obligate and permanent parasite. Therefore,this work aims to study the occurrence of M.suis in H. suis samples from bothdomestic and wild pig populations from Argentina; using the 16S rRNA gene. Atotal of 98 sucking lice, collected from domestic and wild pigs from BuenosAires Province in central Argentina, were examined. We found M. suis DNA in 15 H. suis samples (15.30%). Positive lice were detected from allstudied populations. This is the first report of M. suis presence in H. suis,being also the first detection in a pig ectoparasite species. We conclude that H. suis could serve as a mechanicalvector for M. suis. This informationnot only extends the knowledge about the pathogen spectrum potentiallytransmitted by H. suis, but may bealso useful in epidemiological studies about Mycoplasma.