Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia: The first isolation and molecular characterization of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Classical contagious caprine pleuropneumonia is one of the most fatal contagious disease of goats listed by World Organization for Animal Health that leads to major economic losses. It is caused by infection with Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae. In order to isolate the causative agents of CCPP for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fifteen flocks from Eastern region (Al Ahsa, Dammam and Hafr Albaten) and ten flocks from Riyadh and Al-Kharj regions were selected for this study. A total of 700 samples (400 nasal swabs, 300 pleural fluid samples and lung samples (from necropsied animals)) were collected from goats showing typical signs of CCPP. The clinical signs of diseased cases revealed serous to mucoid nasal discharge, coughing, dyspnea, frothy salivation, and fever (40-42°C). Necropsied animals showed fibrinous pleuropneumonia and increased pleural fluid. Of 400 nasal swabs, 190 pleural fluid, and 110 lung samples, 26 (6.5%), 31 (16.3%) and 19 (17.3%) Mycoplasma isolates were recovered, respectively. Biochemically, all isolates were sensitive to digitonin and fermented glucose. Sixty seven of Mycoplasma isolates were belonged to Mycoplasma mycoides cluster based on detection of 16S rRNA. Polymerase chain reaction screening of Mycoplasma isolates using specific primer for M. capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae confirmed 55 isolates to be M. capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae.