Biological proprieties of Pasteurella multocida isolate from sheep in Morocco

Background: In Morocco, observations of pasteurellosis clinical cases reported by field veterinarian and lesions observed in abattoirs, suggest circulation of serotypes of pasteurellosis among small ruminants population. However, little is known on the prevalence of the main serotypes in this region and their pathogenicity. Results We investigated five suspected Pasteurella clinical cases from different provinces of Morocco. We succeeded to isolate 2 strains (S14 and S13) of Pasteurella Multocida A among the five isolates. Identification was achieved by biochemical and molecular biology methods. Phylogeny based on two genes sequence analysis (RNA16S and rpoB) suggested that the two isolates present similarity with others from different species. A pathogenicity study was conducted in mice, guinea pigs and sheep to set up a model for vaccine testing. The strain S14 was more virulent than S13 in laboratory animals and induced severe illness in sheep. Conclusion The high mortality of infected mice suggest that this animal may represent a good alternative for testing pathogenicity and vaccine efficacy.