IDENTIFICATION OF MORAXELLA-LIKE BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM CAPRINE AND OVINE NASAL FLORA

Twenty four Moraxella related bacterias were isolated from healthy cap rine and ovine nasal swabs and were investigated by classic biochemica l tests and by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophores is (SDS-PAGE) of whole-cell proteins in comparison with 9 reference st rains. Proteolytic and haemolytic strains were investigated by electro n microscopy. The biochemical results clustered field isolates in four groups corresponding to Branhamella and Moraxella species. Proteolyti c, haemolytic and fimbriated field isolates showed the same morphologi cal structure and biochemical features as Moraxella bovis. SDS-PAGE re sults indicated that DICE coefficient between a field isolate and the corresponding reference strain can be as 62.5 %; 41.7 % and 36 % respe ctively for the groups 1, 3 and 4. The group 2 showed a similarity per centage over 75 % with the reference strain Moraxella nonliquefaciens. This results indicated that a non proteolytic but haemolytic bacteria , closely related to Moraxella nonliquefaciens was commonly isolated f rom small ruminants nasal flora. These animals can also be hosts of a subspecies of Moraxella bovis.