Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri

Contagious agalactia (CA) is a serious disease of small ruminants that occurs in many countries, and is usually characterized by mastitis, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, pleuropneumonia, and septicemia. Mycoplasma agalactiae (Ma) is the main causative agent in sheep and goats but other pathogens including Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc, which incorporates the former M. mycoides subsp. mycoides Large Colony type), Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc), and Mycoplasma putrefaciens (Mp) might be involved. They are all usually associated with infections in goats and may cause similar clinical signs. A total of 116 sheep and 16 goats suffering from the acute form of the disease were included in this study. They were recruited following a number of outbreaks suspected to be CA in the Ardebil province of Iran. Milk, lachrymal or synovial fluid were collected exclusively from the affected animals in order to identify the pathogen involved. Of the 132 collected samples, 33 (25%) were positive for Mycoplasma species by culture in PPLO broth and agar. The polymerase chain reaction followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR/DGGE) method identified 18 (12 sheep and 6 goats) of the 33 Mycoplasma positive samples with mixed Mycoplasma population. In particular, 25 Ma (47.2%), 23 Mp (43.4%), 4 Mcc (7.5%), and 1 Mmc (1.9%) were identified. This confirms that the several Mycoplasma species rather than the Ma only are in circulation, and are able to cause CA in sheep and goats in Iran. This is the first report on the isolation and identification of Mp, Mmc and Mcc in infected small ruminant flocks in Iran.

The present study was aimed to assess clinic-haematological changes in cows showing hoof and horn abnormalities, reared around Koradi Thermal Power Plant, Nagpur, Maharashtra (India). Hoof and horn abnormalities are usually attributed to selenium toxicity. Twenty cows were randomly selected within a radius of 5 km of thermal power plant. Blood, urine and milk samples were analyzed for haemato-biochemical changes. Also, the selenium level was estimated and compared with control samples taken from Deolapar Cattle Farm and Agriculture College Dairy Farm (located within the same agro-climatic conditions but away from the impact area of fly ash). Mean selenium value in blood of exposed animals was insignificantly higher than unexposed animals while selenium in urine and milk of exposed cows was significantly higher than control though within the permissible range. The haemato-biochemical parameters viz., haemoglobin, AST, ALT, serum creatinine and BUN of exposed cows were insignificantly less than control cows. Air, water, soil and fodder samples, collected from the study area, showed the selenium level of 3 ng m-3 , 0.001±0.002 ppm,-0.593 ppm and 1.25±0.20 ppm, respectively. It appears that the selenium level in impact area has not reached to the level that may develop selenium toxicity like sloughing of horns, weakness and hoof deformity; and the symptoms observed are due to the factor other than selenium toxicity.