Molecular detection and confirmation of Moraxella bovoculi in an outbreak of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis

An outbreak of keratoconjunctivitis was reported in a dairy farm at north Goa district, of Goa State, where a herd of bulls was showing conjunctivitis, lachrymal discharge, corneal opacity in single or both eyes. Animals were emaciated due to blindness and hence the inability to move and feed. Injuries due to sudden falling and collisions were also noticed. Preliminary clinical examination revealed that the animals had infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis. Isolation and identification of the pathogen from the ocular swab revealed the presence of Moraxella spp. Multiplex PCR identified the causative agent as M. bovoculi. The isolate was confirmed as M.bovoculi by sequence analysis of the 16srRNA gene. Treatment using Streptomycin and Penicillin antibiotics and dexamethasone was started in affected animals, which yielded good results and complete recovery. Phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of the isolate with isolates from India and United States.