detection of “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos” in cattle and buffalo in China

“Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos” is a hemoplasma species found in cattle and has been recently reported in Switzerland and Japan. In this study, “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos” was shown to occur in cattle and buffalo in tropical China by PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene from blood samples. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence, a specific PCR assay was developed. Occurrence of “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos” in cattle and buffalo in Guangxi, China, was determined by examining 25 buffalo blood samples, 12 yellow cattle blood samples and 42 dairy cow blood samples. The results showed that 32% (8/25) of buffalo, 41.7% (5/12) of yellow cattle, and 14.3% (6/42) of dairy cows were positive for “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos”, respectively. Direct sequencing of representative PCR products confirmed that the amplified partial 16S rDNA sequence represented “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos”. This is the first report of “Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos” in buffalo, yellow cattle, and dairy cows in China.