Molecular analysis of Pasteurella multocida strains isolated from fowl cholera infection in backyard chickens

Based on the previous findings, there are three spreading clusters that may indicate the association of a small number of P. multocida variants with the majority of cases suggesting that certain clones of P. multocida are able to colonize the examined backyard chickens. Also, the ease and rapidity of RAPD-PCR support the use of this technique as alternative to the more labour-intensive SDS-PAGE system for strain differentiation and epidemiological studies of avian P. multocida. Further application of RAPD technology to the examination of avian cholera outbreaks in commercially available flocks may facilitate more effective management of this disease by providing the potential to investigate correlations of P. multocida genotypes, to identify affiliations between bird types and bacterial genotypes, and to elucidate the role of specific bird species in disease transmission.