Serovar detector

Serovar detector is a new bioinformatic tool for determining the serovar of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae using whole genome sequencing. The cps operons of isolates are compared to the serovar reference strains and the outcome is determined both by the number of common genes as well as the similarities between the homologous genes. The validation of the bioinformatic tool utilizes a broad collection of 732 isolates including representatives from all described serovars. The isolates included have earlier been characterized by conventional serotyping, PCR tests or different bioinformatic tools. It also includes isolates that have been difficult to allocate to a serovar using serology in order to test the pipeline's performance when potential new varieties or combinations of cps genes are present. Out of the 732 isolates included in the investigation, only 36 isolates (4.9%) could not be allocated to the 19 recognized serovars. The validation showed that Serovar detector represents a robust method for determining the serovar of an isolate and also a valuable tool for further characterization of the genetic heterogeneity both within the serovars as well as within the A. pleuropneumoniae species.