Rahimabadi E, Asadpour Y, Pourbakhsh S A, Sayehban P
Veterinary Research Department, Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Rasht, Iran.
Mycoplasma Reference Laboratory, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, AREEO, Karaj, Iran.
Arch Razi Inst. 2017 Dec;72(4):219-223. doi: 10.22092/ari.2017.113298. Epub 2017 Dec 1.
Contagious agalactia is an infectious syndrome of sheep that is characterized by mastitis with reduction of milk production, arthritis, abortion, and keratoconjunctivitis. The disease is rapidly spread by the contact of the infected animals with the healthy ones. Domestic sheep and goats of both sexes can be infected at an equivalent frequency. Most of the researchers use culture and molecular methods for the isolation and identification of Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma agalactiae is the main cause of the disease in sheep. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify M. agalactiae by using culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in the sheep herds in Guilan province, Iran. A total of 71 specimens were collected from seven sheep herds with clinical signs of agalactia disease. All of the seven sheep herds (100%) were positive either in PPLO agar or Mycoplasma PCR test. Out of the 71 specimens, 50 (70.4%) cases were positive; however, 21 (29.6%) samples were negative. Furthermore, 40 (80%) cases of the positive samples were detected for the presence of Mycoplasma by the PCR method; nonetheless, 34 (68%) samples were positive in culture. Additionally, out of the 40 positive samples in Mycoplasma PCR, 11 (27.5%) samples were detected in M. agalactiae-specific PCR. The samples that were positive for Mycoplasma were mostly detected in the ear/vaginal, milk, and ear swab samples, respectively, by culture and PCR methods. The most positive samples of Mycoplasma / M. agalactiae were obtained from the ear and vaginal samples. Our findings demonstrated that Mycoplasma was one of the main etiological agents of the contagious agalactia in Guilan province. In addition, PCR was found to be more successful than the culture method in the detection of Mycoplasma.
传染性无乳症是绵羊的一种感染性综合征，其特征为伴有产奶量减少的乳腺炎、关节炎、流产和角膜结膜炎。该疾病通过感染动物与健康动物接触而迅速传播。家养绵羊和山羊两性感染频率相当。大多数研究人员使用培养和分子方法分离和鉴定支原体。无乳支原体是绵羊该病的主要病因。本研究的目的是通过培养和聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测法在伊朗吉兰省的绵羊群中分离和鉴定无乳支原体。从7个有无乳症临床症状的绵羊群中总共采集了71份样本。所有7个绵羊群（100%）在PPLO琼脂或支原体PCR检测中均呈阳性。在71份样本中，50份（70.4%）检测呈阳性；然而，21份（29.6%）样本呈阴性。此外，通过PCR方法在40份（80%）阳性样本中检测到支原体的存在；尽管如此，34份（68%）样本在培养中呈阳性。另外，在支原体PCR检测呈阳性的40份样本中，11份（27.5%）样本在无乳支原体特异性PCR检测中呈阳性。通过培养和PCR方法，支原体检测呈阳性的样本大多分别在耳部/阴道、乳汁和耳部拭子样本中被检测到。支原体/无乳支原体阳性样本最多的是耳部和阴道样本。我们的研究结果表明，支原体是吉兰省传染性无乳症的主要病原体之一。此外，发现PCR检测支原体比培养方法更成功。
