Catania Salvatore, Gobbo Federica, Ramirez Ana S, Guadagnini Davide, Baldasso Elisa, Moronato Maria Luisa, Nicholas Robin A J
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, viale dell'Universita' 10, Legnaro, 35020, Padova, Italy.
Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Medicina Animale, Produzioni e Salute (MAPS), Legnaro, Padova, Italy.
BMC Vet Res. 2016 Mar 12;12:52. doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0680-1.
The role of wild birds in the transmission and spread of mycoplasmas is not clear. Up to now different Mycoplasma species have been isolated from wild birds many of which are not considered pathogens sensu stricto for domestic flocks. This report describes the first isolation of Mycoplasma synoviae in a captive lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) held in a zoo in Italy and the laboratory investigations performed to elucidate its origin. Results showed that the strain was similar to the MS-H vaccine strain using the vlhA methods although no vaccination with this product was used in the zoo.
This paper describes investigations into a case in which 10 of 12 adult lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) died after having recently been moved from the Netherlands to a new zoo in Northern Italy. While most of the birds appeared to have died from the stress of movement and poor adaptation to their new environment, Mycoplasma synoviae, an important poultry pathogen in the layer and meat industry, was isolated for the first time from the trachea of one animal presenting catarrhal tracheitis and fibrinous airsacculitis. Genetic analysis of the conserved region of the vlhA was not able to differentiate the flamingo strain from the MS-H vaccine strain. However differences in the sequences of the obg gene of the flamingo and vaccine strain were detected. A test for temperature-sensitivity (ts) gave a ts (-) phenotype for the flamingo strain, in contrast to the ts (+) status of the MS-H strain. Based on this information and knowing that the flamingos were not vaccinated against M. synoviae, it is highly likely that the flamingo was infected with a genetically similar wild strain by contact with infected birds.
This case provides evidence for the potential role of international trade of ornamental birds as a possible route of introduction of new mycoplasma strains between countries, and moreover highlight that vlhA gene sequencing was not sufficient to discriminate the wild strain isolated from the flamingo from the MS-H vaccine strain.
野生鸟类在支原体传播和扩散中的作用尚不清楚。到目前为止，已从野生鸟类中分离出不同的支原体物种，其中许多对家禽群而言并不被严格视为病原体。本报告描述了在意大利一家动物园饲养的圈养小火烈鸟（Phoeniconaias minor）中首次分离出滑膜支原体，并进行了实验室调查以阐明其来源。结果表明，使用vlhA方法，该菌株与MS-H疫苗株相似，尽管该动物园未使用该产品进行疫苗接种。
本文描述了对一起病例的调查，12只成年小火烈鸟（Phoeniconaias minor）中有10只在最近从荷兰转移到意大利北部的一个新动物园后死亡。虽然大多数鸟类似乎死于运输压力和对新环境的不适应，但滑膜支原体，一种在蛋鸡和肉鸡行业中的重要家禽病原体，首次从一只出现卡他性气管炎和纤维素性气囊炎的动物的气管中分离出来。对vlhA保守区域的基因分析无法区分火烈鸟菌株和MS-H疫苗株。然而，检测到火烈鸟菌株和疫苗株的obg基因序列存在差异。温度敏感性（ts）测试显示火烈鸟菌株为ts（-）表型，与MS-H菌株的ts（+）状态相反。基于这些信息，并知道火烈鸟未接种针对滑膜支原体的疫苗，很可能这只火烈鸟是通过与受感染鸟类接触而感染了基因相似的野生菌株。
该病例证明了观赏鸟国际贸易作为各国间引入新支原体菌株的可能途径的潜在作用，并且还强调vlhA基因测序不足以区分从火烈鸟分离出的野生菌株和MS-H疫苗株。
