Abstract
The vertical transmission rate of Mycoplasma synoviae into primordial germ cells (PGCs) was evaluated. PGCs were collected from eggs (n=54) of M. synoviae positive chickens, with 10 to 214 PGCs obtained per egg. PGCs were mixed with Frey's medium (2ml) and incubated at 37°C for two weeks. After incubation, DNA was extracted from the medium and used as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) template to detect M. synoviae. All samples tested PCR negative. Thus, potentially all isolated PGCs were not infected with M. synoviae. These results suggested that vertical transmission of M. synoviae into PGCs might be rare. Given that chickens are typically culled if this infection is confirmed, even among rare breeds, utilization of PGCs is a promising means of preserving chicken breeds that are infected with M. synoviae.
