Molecular Surveillance Revealed Increasing Trend of Mycoplasmosis in Respiratory Infections of Goats (Capra hircus) in Northern Pakistan
Molecular Surveillance Revealed Increasing Trend of Mycoplasmosis in Respiratory Infections of Goats (Capra hircus) in Northern Pakistan
Faisal Ahmad1,2, Farhan Anwar Khan1*, Midrar Ullah3, Muhammad Saeed1 and Hayatullah Khan4*
ABSTRACT
In many regions of Pakistan goat is a staple livestock for the livelihood of poor farmers. The goat is also known as the poor man’s cow in the sub-continent. Mycoplasmosis impacts the poorest farmers most gravely. Currently, diagnostics and vaccines for Mycoplasma causing infections are lacking due to the uniqueness of strains endemic to Pakistan. Mycoplasma is responsible for causing several socio-economically important infectious diseases (including WOAH-listed CCPP) in goats. Therefore, to unveil the status of Mycoplasmosis in goats, a total of 2,400 samples consisting of nasal discharges, tracheal swabs, lung tissue, and pleural fluid were collected from four different zones of northern Pakistan. Out of 2400 samples 512 (21.3%) samples showed gross turbidity and typical whirling movement of mycoplasma in PPLO broth. The PCR revealed 284 (11.8%) of the Mm cluster, including six cases of mixed infection with M. capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc) and M. capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). The region-wise prevalence of the Mm cluster was 105 (17.5%) in the Northern region, followed by 66 (11%), 59 (9.8%), and 54 (9%) in the Central, Southern, and Tribal regions, respectively. The screening of the Mm cluster isolates by species-specific primers found 110 (4.5%), 92 (3.8), and 88 (3.6%) Mcc, Mccp, and M. mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc), respectively. Of the 284 Mm cluster positive samples, the highest number was obtained from pleural fluid 75 (18.8%), followed by lungs, tracheal swabs, and nasal swabs 53 (13.3%), 83 (10.4%) and 73 (9.1%), respectively. This study showed that the causes of mycoplasmosis in the northern region of Pakistan include Mcc, Mmc, and Mccp, and the lungs and pleural fluid samples could be used for the isolation of the causative agent.
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