Genetic diversity of Mycoplasma arginini isolates based on multilocus sequence typing

• We describe genotyping of M. arginini using MLST.
• A high level of genetic variability was observed between strains and within herds.
• Our results suggest some strains may have tropism for the respiratory tract.

ABSTRACTThe contribution of Mycoplasma arginini to mycoplasmosis in small ruminants remains unclear because it is recovered from both healthy and diseased animals. In order to gain a better understanding of any relationships between isolates from different sites and different geographical locations, we developed a method for genotyping M. arginini using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). A MLST scheme based on five housekeeping genes was used to characterize M. arginini isolates from flocks of sheep and goats. A high level of genetic variability was detected between strains and within herds.