Molecular detection of Mycoplasma ovis in an outbreak of hemolytic anemia in sheep from Veracruz, Mexico.

Mycoplasma ovis is a small, pleiotropic bacterium, which parasitizes the external surface of erythrocytes of several species of artiodactyl mammals, especially sheep and goats. We here report an outbreak of ovine mycoplasmosis in a sheep flock of a private ranch (Universidad Veracruzana) in Veracruz, Mexico. For the identification of Mycoplasma and other hemoparasitic bacterial agents, we stained blood smears with the DiffQuick® technique and additionally amplified several fragments of 16S rDNA gene. We detected the presence of morulas in erythrocytes from 30 sick female adult sheep, and found Mycoplasma ovis DNA in all of them. Furthermore, three of these animals also tested positive for Anaplasma ovis. Our findings represent the first record of M. ovis and A. ovis in an outbreak of hemolytic anemia in a sheep flock, leading to severe livestock loss in a ranch of Mexico. This study highlights the importance of establishing an active surveillance of both pathogens in the country.

Detection of pathogenic Leptospira species associated with phyllostomid bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Veracruz, Mexico.

The genus Leptospira encompass 22 species of spirochaetes, with ten pathogenic species that have been recorded in more than 160 mammals worldwide. In the last two decades, the numbers of records of these agents associated with bats have increased exponentially, particularly in America. Although order Chiroptera represents the second most diverse order of mammals in Mexico, and leptospirosis represents a human and veterinary problem in the country, few studies have been conducted to identify potential wildlife reservoirs. The aim of this study was to detect the presence and diversity of Leptospira sp. in communities of bats in an endemic state of leptospirosis in Mexico. During January to September 2016, 81 bats of ten species from three localities of Veracruz, Mexico, were collected with mist nets. Kidney samples were obtained from all specimens. For the detection of Leptospira sp., we amplified several genes using specific primers. Amplicons of the expected size were submitted to sequencing, and sequences recovered were compared with those of reference deposited in GenBank using the BLAST tool. To identify their phylogenetic position, we realized a reconstruction using maximum-likelihood (ML) method. Twenty-five samples from three bat species (Artibeus lituratus, Choeroniscus godmani and Desmodus rotundus) showed the presence of Leptospira DNA. Sequences recovered were close to Leptospira noguchii, Leptospira weilii and Leptospira interrogans. Our results include the first record of Leptospira in bats from Mexico and exhibit a high diversity of these pathogens circulating in the state. Due to the finding of a large number of positive wild animals, it is necessary to implement a surveillance system in populations of the positive bats as well as in related species, in order to understand their role as carriers of this bacterial genus.