Isolation and identification of avian mygoplasmas in Singapore

1. Two hundred and forty batches of chickens with chronic respiratory syndrome were tested for mycoplasmas. One hundred and five batches (43–8%) were found to have mycoplasmosis. A total of 110 isolates of mycoplasma was cultured, of which nine isolates were identified as Myco‐plasma gallisepticum, 48 avian sero‐group D, 45 M. gallinarum, one M. iners and seven unclassified.

2. Identification of the mycoplasmas isolated was carried out by biochemical and serological tests (disc growth inhibition and agar gel diffusion tests). A modified agar gel diffusion test using solubilised antigens with sodium deoxycholate‐glucose solution was developed for serotyping of mycoplasmas.