Meeting Abstract
Some species of Pasteurella are known to cause disease in vertebrates, often within the respiratory system, and in association with Mycoplasma. While Mycoplasma agassizii is a known etiologic agent of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in the Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), the effect of Pasteurella testudinis on URTD in wild populations is not known. Understanding the dynamics of coinfection of P. testudinis and M. agassizii may allow for improvement in conservation efforts, especially regarding URTD management during necessary translocations. A hydrolysis probe (TaqMan) quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for P. testudinis was developed to detect the presence or absence of P. testudinis in DNA extractions from tortoise lavage samples that were collected from tortoises (n = 389) in the Mojave Desert from 2010-2012. In 20 sampled populations, the prevalence of P. testudinis ranged from 0-100%, with a mean of 53% of individuals colonized with the microbe. Coinfection occurred at a low rate (103/389), and P. testudinis was not correlated to M. agassizii or URTD. While previous studies have found P. testudinis in association with disease, we found no indication that the presence of P. testudinis and coinfection of P. testudinis with M. agassizii worsens URTD in the Mojave Desert tortoise.
