Journal article
Association of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae Infection with Population-Limiting Respiratory Disease in Free-Ranging Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis)
Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.46(2), pp.423-430
02/2008
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/104936
PMCID: PMC2238132
PMID: 18057131
Abstract
Bronchopneumonia is a population-limiting disease in bighorn sheep in much of western North America. Previous investigators have isolated diverse bacteria from the lungs of affected sheep, but no single bacterial species is consistently present, even within single epizootics. We obtained high-quality diagnostic specimens from nine pneumonic bighorn sheep in three populations and analyzed the bacterial populations present in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens of seven by using a culture-independent method (16S rRNA gene amplification and clone library analyses).
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae
was detected as a predominant member of the pneumonic lung flora in lambs with early lesions of bronchopneumonia. Specific PCR tests then revealed the consistent presence of
M. ovipneumoniae
in the lungs of pneumonic bighorn sheep in this study, and
M. ovipneumoniae
was isolated from lung specimens of five of the animals. Retrospective application of
M. ovipneumoniae
PCR to DNA extracted from archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissues of historical adult bighorn sheep necropsy specimens supported the association of this agent with bronchopneumonia (16/34 pneumonic versus 0/17 nonpneumonic sheep were PCR positive [
P
< 0.001]). Similarly, a very strong association was observed between the presence of one or more
M. ovipneumoniae
antibody-positive animals and the occurrence of current or recent historical bronchopneumonia problems (seropositive animals detected in 9/9 versus 0/9 pneumonic and nonpneumonic populations, respectively [
P
< 0.001]).
M. ovipneumoniae
is strongly associated with bronchopneumonia in free-ranging bighorn sheep and is a candidate primary etiologic agent for this disease.
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Details
- Title
- Association of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae Infection with Population-Limiting Respiratory Disease in Free-Ranging Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis)
- Creators
- Thomas E Besser - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryE. Frances Cassirer - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryKathleen A Potter - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryJohn VanderSchalie - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryAllison Fischer - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryDonald P Knowles - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryDavid R Herndon - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryFred R Rurangirwa - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratoryGlen C Weiser - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic LaboratorySubramaniam Srikumaran - Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
- Publication Details
- Journal of clinical microbiology, Vol.46(2), pp.423-430
- Academic Unit
- Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Department of
- Publisher
- American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
- Identifiers
- 99900546602401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article