Mycoplasmas isolated from the respiratory tract of cattle and goats in Tanzania

A microbiological study of the mycoplasma flora in the respiratory tracts o f cattle and goats in selected regions of Tanzania is described. In the exa mination of cattle, mycoplasmas were isolated from 60 (17.8%) of the 338 ex amined lung samples, 8 (47.1%) of the 17 lymph nodes, 4 (13.3%) of the 30 p leural fluid samples and 4 (3.9%) of the 103 nasal swabs examined. All the isolates were identified as Mycoplasma mycoides subsp, mycoides, Small Colo ny type except for one isolate from pleural fluid which was identified as M ycoplasma arginini. M. mycoides subsp. mycoides, Small Colony type was isol ated from samples originating from Dodoma, Iringa, Mbeya, Morogoro and Shin yanga regions where outbreaks of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia had been reported. In the examination of goats, mycoplasmas were isolated from 54 ( 34.0%) of the 159 examined lung samples, 41 (18.1%) of the 226 nasal swabs and 4 (40.0%) of the 10 pleural fluid samples. The species demonstrated wer e Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, M. mycoides subsp. mycoides , Small Colony type Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and M. Capricolum subsp. argin ini. The isolation of M. capripneumoniae in the toast and Morogoro regions confirmed the presence of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in the regions .