The first report of Histophilus somni pneumonia in Nigerian dairy cattle.

Clinical signs of severe bronchopneumonia, including anorexia, coughing, nasal discharge, dyspnoea, diarrhoea, distension of the neck, lethargy, recumbency, lameness preceding collapse, and death were observed among a herd of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. The outbreak occurred over a 30-day period, and attack and case-fatality rates were 0.4% and 50%, respectively. At necropsy, extensive consolidation in the cranioventral parts of the lungs was observed. Histologically, a severe acute bronchopneumonia with slight pleuritis was present. Both pathological and bacteriological evaluation of the lungs incriminated Histophilus somni (heavy growth). Supplementary laboratory investigations also isolated Clostridium and Klebsiella species (scanty growth) from the lungs. Histophilosis in cattle was confirmed for the first time in Nigeria.

Molecular detection of Nigerian field isolates of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides as causative agents of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a highly contagious respiratory disease affecting cattle and is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to detect Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides (Mmm) the causative agent of CBPP from 90 cattle at slaughter using polymerase chain reaction-Restriction fragment length polymorphism. In this study, 450 samples suggestive of CBPP in Maiduguri, Yola and Gombe township abattoirs were processed according to standard protocols. The isolation rate was found to be 3.33% and percentage of identification with PCR-RFLP yielded 1.56%. Subsequently, QIAxcel revealed molecular size of 574 bp for Mycoplasma mycoides subcluster. Further analysis of PCR amplicons with restriction digestion, confirmed the presence of Mmm 16 S rRNA of CAP 21 genomic region with molecular sizes of 180 bp and 380 bp. Thus, the 380 bp fragments delineated Mmm from Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri. Three isolates (BL5, BL6 and AL1) were from lungs and four from pleural fluids (APF2, APF8A, APF8B and APF9) were isolated and identified, while a vaccine strain T1/44 was re-detected along with the field isolates. No sample from Gombe had Mmm. In conclusion, the findings of this study have detected the presence of Mmm as causative agent of CBPP. Measures such as surveillance, quarantine and vaccination are hereby recommended for the control of CBPP in Nigeria.