Clinical, histopathological, and molecular characterization of Mycoplasma species in sheep and goats in Egypt.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mycoplasma infection in small ruminants is a serious problem in sheep and goat herds around the world. It is responsible for high economic losses and decreased animal productivity. This study aimed to highlight the clinical, histopathological, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and molecular characterization of Mycoplasma species in sheep and goats in Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 234 samples were collected; 104 samples were collected from pneumonic lung tissues from the abattoir, in addition, 10 and 20 samples collected from apparently and diseased sheep, respectively, and 40 and 60 samples were collected from apparently and diseased goats, respectively, which were subjected to isolation onto pleuropneumonia-like organism medium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), histopathological examination, and determination of the MIC were also performed. RESULTS: Of 104 samples of lung tissues showing pneumonic lesions, 56 (53.84%) were positive for Mycoplasma isolation. The positive isolation of Mycoplasma from 10 and 20 samples from apparently and diseased sheep was 30% and 40%, respectively as well as the positive isolation of Mycoplasma was 17% and 56.66% out of 40 and 60 apparently healthy and diseased field goat's cases, respectively. All the diseased sheep and goats showed respiratory manifestations, including cough, bilateral nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, and systemic reaction. Evaluation of the MIC for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae revealed that lincospectin and tylosin were the most effective antibiotics at 2.5 mg/mL. Histopathological examination of affected lung tissue showed extensive hemorrhagic pneumonia with extensive alveolar hemorrhage. The PCR technique proved to be a rapid, specific, and sensitive method for the detection of M. ovipneumoniae and Mycoplasma arginini at 390 and 326 bp, respectively. CONCLUSION: M. ovipneumoniae and M. arginini were the most prevalent species associated with respiratory infections in sheep and goats in the study area. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of these species in dissemination of the disease within herds of small ruminants.

Investigation of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in Arabian dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius).

AIM: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne's disease in ruminants. This study aimed to investigate Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection in clinically infected camels on the immunological, conventional bacteriological, and molecular biological basis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 Arabian camels (Camelus dromedarius) were examined in this study. The camels were suffering from signs ranging from mild to severe infections (that did not respond to antibiotic treatment) to chronic or intermittent diarrhea. Camels were grouped into three groups based on their age, sex, and breed. Detection of anti-MAP antibodies in camels' serum, Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining technique on rectal scraps, direct recognition of MAP in stool and tissue specimens by IS900 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, and finally isolation and molecular description of MAP from fecal and tissue samples were carried out. RESULTS: Five MAP isolates were recovered from these investigated camel samples giving an isolation rate of 16.6%, while eight camels were identified by PCR (26.6%). Five camels yielded MAP in their feces by ZN fecal staining (16.6%), whereas ELISA detected anti-MAP antibodies in nine camels only (30%). CONCLUSION: From the obtained results, we concluded that the gold standard for the diagnosis of MAP is the culture method despite its limitations. Molecular diagnosis (PCR) could be a useful tool in the identification of truly positive and negative camels; however, great care should be given regarding the primers specificity and sensitivity.

Bovine ephemeral fever epidemics in Kingdom Saudi Arabia: clinical, epidemiological and molecular investigation.

INTRODUCTION: Bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) is an arthropod borne Rhabdovirus affects cattle and water buffalo causes acute febrile disease. METHODOLOGY: The clinical picture and epidemiological pattern of BEF were described among cattle in epidemics of 2007, 2009 and 2011 in four geographical regions of Kingdom Saudi Arabia (Eastern, Jizan, Qasim, and Riyadh). Serum samples were tested using VNT. Virus isolation and molecular characterization were carried out for the first time in KSA. RESULTS: The main clinical symptoms were fever, stiffness, lameness, salivation and subcutaneous emphysema. The prevalence and the mortality rate of BEF have decreased from 70% and 4.6% in 2007 to 30% and 0.6% in 2011, respectively in the 4 studied areas. There was no region association with higher prevalence of BEF. The intracluster correlation (ICC) was estimated for the first time in KSA as 0.0034. BEFV had been isolated from 11 out of 20 samples (55%) and isolation was confirmed by VNT. The molecular detection of BEFV by RT-PCR and real- time RT-qPCR were found more sensitive for diagnosis of the disease than virus isolation; 80% and 90% for the former tests and 55% for the latter. Three isolates were sequenced, they showed 84.7% - 100% identities in between and shared 90.4%-96.5% sequence identity with a previously published sequence from Australia (KF679404). The generated sequences belonged to 3rd cluster of BEFV glycoprotein. CONCLUSIONS: BEF occurrence has cyclic nature and the efficacy of vaccines prepared from local strains has to be evaluated and considered in diseases control.

Vitamin D Metabolites and Their Association with Calcium, Phosphorus, and PTH Concentrations, Severity of Illness, and Mortality in Hospitalized Equine Neonates.

BACKGROUND: Hypocalcemia is a frequent abnormality that has been associated with disease severity and outcome in hospitalized foals. However, the pathogenesis of equine neonatal hypocalcemia is poorly understood. Hypovitaminosis D in critically ill people has been linked to hypocalcemia and mortality; however, information on vitamin D metabolites and their association with clinical findings and outcome in critically ill foals is lacking. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (hypovitaminosis D) and its association with serum calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations, disease severity, and mortality in hospitalized newborn foals. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred newborn foals ≤72 hours old divided into hospitalized (n = 83; 59 septic, 24 sick non-septic [SNS]) and healthy (n = 17) groups were included. Blood samples were collected on admission to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3], 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH) 2D3], and PTH concentrations. Data were analyzed by nonparametric methods and univariate logistic regression. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [defined as 25(OH)D3 <9.51 ng/mL] was 63% for hospitalized, 64% for septic, and 63% for SNS foals. Serum 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH) 2D3 concentrations were significantly lower in septic and SNS compared to healthy foals (P<0.0001; P = 0.037). Septic foals had significantly lower calcium and higher phosphorus and PTH concentrations than healthy and SNS foals (P<0.05). In hospitalized and septic foals, low 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations were associated with increased PTH but not with calcium or phosphorus concentrations. Septic foals with 25(OH)D3 <9.51 ng/mL and 1,25(OH) 2D3 <7.09 pmol/L were more likely to die (OR=3.62; 95% CI = 1.1-12.40; OR = 5.41; 95% CI = 1.19-24.52, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Low 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 concentrations are associated with disease severity and mortality in hospitalized foals. Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to a pro-inflammatory state in equine perinatal diseases. Hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia together with decreased 1,25(OH)2D3 but increased PTH concentrations in septic foals indicates that PTH resistance may be associated with the development of these abnormalities.