168. Mycoplasma diseases of small ruminants.

Question 1

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia?

Answer 1

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia

Occurrence:

• Africa, Middle East, Asia Susceptible: goats, some wild Ru

Aetiology:

• M. capricolum subsp.capripneumoniae
• Sheep can carry asymptomatically

Epidemiology

• Maintaining the infection: bacterium carrier animals
• Aerogenic infection, Direct contact (nomad) ʹ markets
• Morbidity ~100%, mortality ~60-100%

Pathogenesis

• aerogenic infection —> replication in the respiratory tract
• The disease is restricted to the lungs

Clinical signs

• Fever, depression, anorexia
• Left behind the flock
• Shortage of breath, dyspnoea, cough, nasal discharge

Pathology

• Fibrinous pneumonia, fibrinous pleuritis
• Yellow exudate in the thorax

Diagnosis

• Epidemiology ʹ clinical signs - pathology
• Detection of the agent: culture, PCR
• Detection of antibodies: CFT, agglutination, ELISA

Treatment: endemic areas ʹ antibiotics

Prevention, control:

• Endemic areas
• Inactivated vaccines
• Above the age of 10 weeks 1x
• One-year long protection
• Disease free areas
• Prevention of introduction - import control
• Protection zone, stamping out

Question 2

Contagious agalactia of goats and sheep?

Answer 2

Contagious agalactia of goats and sheep

Occurrence:

• Mediterranean, Middle East, S. America, Hungary (2015)

Aetiology:

• M. agalactiae, other mycoplasmas can cause agalactia in goats

Epidemiology

• 1st pregnancy ewes more susceptible!
• Introduction: with convalescent carrier animals
• Fast spreading within the flock
• Contact of herds (pasture, market)

Pathogenesis

• PO infection - exudates, milk
• Septicaemia: parenchymal organs, udder, joints, eye
• Mortality Æ 10-25% die
• Carriers remain (> 1 year)

Clinical signs:

• MAKPS (Mastitis, Arthritis, Keratitis, Pneumonia, Septicaemia)
• Fever, depression, anorexia
• Agalactia, painful udder, atrophy, milk floccules
• Arthritis, limp, pneumonia
• Keratoconjuctivitis, photophobia

Pathology:

• mastitis, peritonitis, arthritis, pneumonia

Diagnosis

• Epi ʹ clinical signs ʹ pathology
• Detection of the agent: isolation, IF, PCR
• Detection of Abs: ELISA, CFT, immunoblot

Treatment:

• antibiotics (macrolides, fluoroquinolons, tiamulin)

Prevention

• Disease free countries: closed herds, stamping out
• Infected countries:
• Closed herds, movement restrictions
• Vaccine
• Inactivated: limited protection
• Attenuated: shed in milk; pregnant animals may not be vaccinated

Question 3

M.ovis diseases of sheep?

Answer 3

M. ovis disease of sheep (Eperythrozoonosis)

• Worldwide, sporadic Susceptible: Ov, Cap
• Epidemiology: spread ʹ infected animal, blood-arthropod (mosquito, ticks), iatrogenic (blood)
• Can persist for year
• Predisposing: parasites, transport, bacterial/viral infections
• Clinical signs: fever, anaemia, haemorrhage, edema (breast, submandibular), weak, weight loss
• Post mortem: exudate (abdomen, thorax, pericardium), enlarged liver, spleen, hemorhages, anaemia, jaundice
• Diagnose: epi ʹ cl ʹ pm Agent: smear (giemsa), IF, PCR
• Treat: OCT ʹ avoid Predisposing!

Question 4

Diseases of sheep and goat caused by other Mycoplasma species?

Answer 4

Diseases of sheep and goat caused by other Mycoplasma species

• M capricolum subsp. capricolum:
• M. mycoides subsp. capri:
• pneumonia, arthritis, mastitis, keratoconjunctivitis
• M. ovipneumoniae: pneumonia
• M. conjunctivae: keratoconjunctivitis