IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATIONS OF EPERYTHROZOON-SUIS VISUALIZED BY ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Eperythrozoon suis is an extracellular red blood cell parasite that ca uses icteroanemia and poor growth performance in feeder pigs and has b een associated with anemias in baby pigs and reproductive failures in sows. At present, few efficient tests are available for the diagnosis and study of E. suis infection in swine. This report discusses how a r ecently developed recombinant DNA probe (KSU-2) specific to E. suis DN A was utilized in in situ DNA hybridizations that couple biotinylated TaqI digested products of KSU-2 DNA with an immunogold detection syste m allowing the visualization by transmission electron microscopy of th e gold particles within eperythrozoon organisms. Specific labelling by the probe of eperythrozoon organisms demonstrated a pattern that chan ged with the various stages of the eperythrozoon life cycle.