Demonstration of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp capripneumoniae and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp mycoides, small colony type in outbreaks of caprine pleuropneumonia in eastern Tanzania

An outbreak of caprine pleuropneumonia involving about 1200 goats in the Co ast and Morogoro regions of eastern Tanzania is reported. The major clinica l findings were severe respiratory distress, fever, mucopurulent nasal disc harge and high mortality involving all age groups and both sexes of goats. The morbidity and mortality rates were 45%-90% and 14%-50%, respectively. T he principal pathological lesions were confined to the thoracic cavity and comprised hydrothorax and serofibrinous pleuropneumonia. The histopathologi cal features consisted of a necrotizing fibrinous pleuropneumonia character ized by different degrees of vasculitis, and fibrinocellular exudation into the alveolar septae and lumina, and into interlobular septae and pleura. M ycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. myc oides, Small Colony type Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Mycoplasma arginini w ere isolated from some of the examined goats including a case with a seques trum which yielded Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, Small Colony type. This work reports the first description of an outbreak of caprine pleuropne umonia in Tanzania in which M. capripneumoniae and M. mycoides subsp. mycoi des, Small Colony type were concurrently isolated.