CASE REPORT: AN INFECTIOUS KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS OUTBREAK CAUSED BY MYCOPLASMA CONJUNCTIVAE IN A DAIRY GOAT FARM.

Although infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) has occurred worldwide, no report has mentioned an IKC case in a dairy goat farm in an indoor management system. Moreover, few clinicians follow the IKC syndrome development throughout the clinical course. The aim of the present study was to report an IKC outbreak caused by Mycoplasma conjunctivae (MC) in indoor dairy goat barns. Severe IKC breakouts had been found consecutively in two nearby goat barns in a cooperated farm. To confirm the etiology, samples were collected from the infected goats to perform hematological, biochemical, bacterial examinations and polymerase chain reactions. A treatment of 4% boric acid and 0.5% povidone iodine solution, and a preventive spray of quaternary ammonium at 09:00 AM and 1% Virkon-S solution at 17:00 PM were useful to control disease in the adult goat barn, wherein 60% (31/55) animals showed different IKC signs. A total of 12 (14%) goat kids, died, without treatment, showed variable degrees of bronchointerstitial pneumonia. In all cases, only the DNA fragments of MC, but not other pathogens implicated in IKC, were detected. Goats began to recover after 30 days in an episodic duration of 81 days resulting in an estimated 240,000 New Taiwan dollars loss. In conclusion, this is the first goat MC report in an indoor system. The treatment and the preventive measure described in the current study were useful to control the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]