Abstract
The present study examined the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniaeinfection in Tibetan pigs in China for the first time. Serum samples were collected randomly from 423 Tibetan pigs of different categories in Nyingchi county and Mainling County, Tibet, China from April to December 2010, and then tested for the presence of antibodies against M. hyopneumoniae by double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that 249 (58.86%) Tibetan pigs were tested positive and the seroprevalence ranged from 25.00 to 75.00% in different age type groups. There was a higher seroprevalence in Mainling (78.97%) than in Nyingchi (41.67%). There was no significant difference in M. hyopneumoniae seroprevalence between male (59.54%) and female (51.41%) Tibetan pigs. The results of this investigation demonstrated that the Tibetan pigs are highly susceptible to M. hyopneumoniae, similar to that of the lowland domestic pigs. With the tendency of Tibetan pigs being bred in more places besides Tibet, the prevention and control of M. hyopneumoniae infection in Tibetan pigs should be carried out. Key words: Tibet, Tibetan pigs, seroprevalence, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, enzootic pneumonia.
Highlights
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, northeast of the Himalayas and it is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 m
The present study examined the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in Tibetan pigs in China for the first time
The results showed that 249 (58.86%) Tibetan pigs were tested positive and the seroprevalence ranged from 25.00 to 75.00% in different age type groups
Summary
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, northeast of the Himalayas and it is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 m. Due to the largest continuous high elevation ecosystem in the world of Tibet, some characteristical animals, such as Tibetan pigs, are living in this area. Tibetan pigs have the ability to adapt to low temperature and poor food quality, and physically possess powerful musculature, with coarse black hair covering the whole body. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae plays an important part in the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) as the causative agent of enzootic pneumonia (Thacker et al, 1999). It is a respiratory disease in swine characterized by a chronic dry cough, growth retardationbackward growth, slow onset and decreased feed conversion efficiency (Straw et al, 1989).
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