Disease caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides LC in Hungarian goat herds.

Abstract

The occurrence of a goat disease caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC in Hungary is reported. The disease occurred in two goat herds in the spring of 1999. In one herd 25% of the 4-12 weeks old kids (10 animals) while in the other herd 33% of the 6-12 weeks old kids (20 animals) became affected. The goat kids developed polyarthritis. The most severe lesions developed in the carpal joints. All animals died after 3-8 days of disease. Four dead kids were necropsied. All of them had serofibrinous and purulent polyarthritis, and in two animals bronchopneumonia, fibrinous pleuritis and meningitis were also found. In the articular exudates the presence of mycoplasmas was detected by PCR using a general mycoplasma primer. Mycoplasmas were cultured from the joints of all animals, from the abdominal parenchymal organs of two kids and from the lungs of one animal. The cultured mycoplasmas grew in strikingly large colonies, proved to be glucose positive, arginine negative and phosphatase positive, and liquefied the coagulated serum. They survived incubation at 45 degrees C for more than 24 h. Based upon their biochemical properties, the results of the immunofluorescence (IF) and growth inhibition tests and the sequence analysis of the PCR product, the cultured strains were identified as M. mycoides subsp. mycoides LC. Animals purchased in the previous autumn had been introduced to both farms. The disease may have been introduced with asymptomatic carrier animals, as earlier no similar disease had been observed at either farm.