CONTAGIOUS BOVINE PLEUROPNEUMONIA IN NORTHERN TANZANIA, CULTURE CONFIRMATION AND SEROLOGICAL STUDIES

After an absence of about 25 years contagious bovine pleuropneumonia ( CBPP) appeared again in 1990 in Tanzania. It was preceded by a spread in Kenya to an area bordering Tanzania. Due to the frequent cattle mov ements across the border it was soon introduced into Loliondo in north ern Tanzania. One month after the fir st cases, CBPP was suspected in a total of 9 herds comprising 1,500 cattle. However, few animals showe d clear clinical signs and frequent antibiotic treatment at an early s tage further obscured the clinical picture. In one herd with acute cas es, the diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy and Mycoplasma mycoides sub sp. mycoides, SC type, was isolated From this herd several serum sampl es were positive in the complement fixation test and gave high absorba nce values in an ELISA with M. mycoides subsp. mycoides antigen. From 5 other herds with suspected cases blood samples were negative by the complement fixation test but in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at least one in each herd was positive.