Outer Membrane Protein A Gene Based Diagnosis of Riemerella anatipestifer Infections in Ducks

New Duck disease or infectious serositis or anatipestifer syndrome, an epizootic infectious disease of poultry, caused by Riemerella anatipestifer is responsible for severe mortality in ducks world-wide. The present study reveals the molecular characterization of outer membrane protein A gene (ompA) of R. anatipestifer isolated from ducks of Kerala as well as its application for developing control and diagnostic strategies for New Duck disease. Outer membrane protein A gene of three isolates of R. anatipestifer from ducks of Kerala were amplified by PCR and cloned in T/A vector. After sequencing of the amplicons, the sequence similarity analysis was done using selected software. The sequence analysis of the gene showed that no much variation of ompA existed among the isolates and that all the isolates were similar to a Taiwanese strain of R. anatipestifer. The results emphasise that the ompA gene of R. anatipestifer could be utilised for developing diagnostic and control strategies for New Duck disease.