RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mycoplasma infection in small ruminants is a serious problem in sheep and goat herds around the world. It is responsible for high economic losses and decreased animal productivity. This study aimed to highlight the clinical, histopathological, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and molecular characterization of Mycoplasma species in sheep and goats in Menoufiya Governorate, Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 234 samples were collected; 104 samples were collected from pneumonic lung tissues from the abattoir, in addition, 10 and 20 samples collected from apparently and diseased sheep, respectively, and 40 and 60 samples were collected from apparently and diseased goats, respectively, which were subjected to isolation onto pleuropneumonia-like organism medium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), histopathological examination, and determination of the MIC were also performed. RESULTS: Of 104 samples of lung tissues showing pneumonic lesions, 56 (53.84%) were positive for Mycoplasma isolation. The positive isolation of Mycoplasma from 10 and 20 samples from apparently and diseased sheep was 30% and 40%, respectively as well as the positive isolation of Mycoplasma was 17% and 56.66% out of 40 and 60 apparently healthy and diseased field goat's cases, respectively. All the diseased sheep and goats showed respiratory manifestations, including cough, bilateral nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, and systemic reaction. Evaluation of the MIC for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae revealed that lincospectin and tylosin were the most effective antibiotics at 2.5 mg/mL. Histopathological examination of affected lung tissue showed extensive hemorrhagic pneumonia with extensive alveolar hemorrhage. The PCR technique proved to be a rapid, specific, and sensitive method for the detection of M. ovipneumoniae and Mycoplasma arginini at 390 and 326 bp, respectively. CONCLUSION: M. ovipneumoniae and M. arginini were the most prevalent species associated with respiratory infections in sheep and goats in the study area. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of these species in dissemination of the disease within herds of small ruminants.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ovine theileriosis caused by Theileria ovis and Theileria lestoquardi is an important infectious disease affecting small ruminants in regions of the tropic and subtropic zones. There is limited studies about ovine theileriosis in Egypt; so the present study aims to assess the occurrence of ovine theileriosis in Egypt at the molecular level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 115 randomly selected sheep, which were apparently healthy; the ages of the sampled sheep ranged from 1 to 5 years old, from a local breed (barkae and balade), and showed no symptoms indicating infection with Theileria spp. The study was conducted in three governorates representing Lower Egypt (Menoufia and Beheira) and Upper Egypt (El-Wady El-Geded). All blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi-nested PCR to target Theileria spp. 18S rRNA genes. Positive samples were sequenced, and these sequences were analyzed using nucleotidebasic local alignment search tool (BLAST). RESULTS: Six animals (5.22%) were PCR-positive carriers for ovine theileriosis. Nucleotide BLAST and phylogenetic analyses of the six obtained sequences showed that T. ovis was present in five animals (4.37%) in Menoufia (n=2) and El-Wady El-Geded (n=3), whereas T. lestoquardi was detected in 1 animal (0.87%) in El-Wady El-Geded. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to provide molecular evidence, genetic characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of ovine Theileria spp. in Egypt. Specifically, T. lestoquardi and T. ovis carrier statuses of sheep were confirmed. These results highlight the importance of developing an effective control strategy against ovine theileriosis carriers that might develop and/or spread theileriosis.