ISOLATION OF MYCOPLASMAS FROM THE GENITAL ORGANS OF HEALTHY DOGS AND FROM THOSE SHOWING REPRODUCTIVE FAILURES

Mycoplasmas were isolated from 106 of 145 bitches and 28 of 44 sires. 108 bitches and 29 sires showed clinical symptoms of certain reproduct ive failures. Of them, mycoplasmas were isolated from 87 bitches and 2 4 sires (Table 1). The clinical symptoms were characterized mainly by metritis, abortion, puppy death, as well as by balanoposthitis. Breedi ng indices of infected bitches or those kept in an infected kennel sho wed well the harmful reproductive-biological effects of Mycoplasma inf ections (Table 2). In case of a sire, the breeding indices also confir med the former establishments: the average litter size was 4.8 before infection and it decreased to 0.7 after infection (Table 3). It can be rendered probable that the infection spread by mating from animal to animal. The most frequently isolated species were M. canis and M. bovi genitalium.