Abstract
The seroprevalence of Mycoplasma bovis infection in dairy cows in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR) in subtropical southern China was surveyed between June 2009 and March 2010. A total of 455 serum samples of dairy cows were collected from 6 districts in 4 different cities, and examined for M. bovisantibodies with the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a commercially available kit. The overall seroprevalence of M. bovis infection in dairy cows was 7.69% (35/455). Three year-old dairy cows had the highest seroprevalence (15.0%), followed by dairy cows of 4 year-old (11.1%). Dairy cows with the history of 5 pregnancies had the highest seroprevalence (33.3%). However, no statistically significant association was found between M. bovis infection and age or number of pregnancies (p > 0.05). All the aborting dairy cows were negative for M. bovis antibodies, suggesting that bovine abortion may have no association with M. bovis infection in GZAR. These results indicate that M. bovis infection in dairy cows was widespread in GZAR, and integrated strategies and measures should be performed to control and prevent M. bovis infection and disease outbreak. Key words: Mycoplasma bovis, seroprevalence, dairy cows, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), China, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Highlights
Mycoplasma bovis is one of major bovine pathogens and is associated with a number of diseases including respiratory diseases and severe otitis, and most commonly implicated in mastitis and pneumonia (Nicholas and Ayling, 2003; Foster et al, 2009; Ball and Nicholas, 2010)
Antibodies to M. bovis were found in 35 out of 455 dairy cows yielding the overall seroprevalence of 7.69%
M. bovis is a major cause of calf pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis, and a comprehensive understanding of M. bovis seroprevalence in dairy cows is essential for the control and prevention of M. bovis infection
Summary
Mycoplasma bovis is one of major bovine pathogens and is associated with a number of diseases including respiratory diseases and severe otitis, and most commonly implicated in mastitis and pneumonia (Nicholas and Ayling, 2003; Foster et al, 2009; Ball and Nicholas, 2010). M. bovis infection is chronic and nonresponsive to antimicrobial treatment, and it usually co-exists with other bacteria. Disease outbreaks usually have high morbidity rates, which cause great economic loss and can be economically devastating to the affected farms, especially in developing countries (Butler et al, 2000; Stipkovits et al, 2000; Gagea et al, 2006; Caswell and Archambault, 2009; Maunsell et al, 2009; Wiggins et al, 2011). Despite the widespread socioeconomic impact of the pathogen, knowledge on the seroprevalence of M. bovis in China is scarce and there has been only one epidemiological investigation of M. bovis in dairy cows infection in Chongqing, China conducted so far, which revealed a seroprevalence of 20 to 80% (Ran et al, 2010). Dairy cow is one of the most important farm animals for milk production in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), in subtropical southern China.
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