MYCOPLASMA AS THE CAUSE OF INFECTIONS IN CATTLE

During the last few years more than 20 different types of Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma and Acholeplasma microorganisms have been isolated from cattle with different clinical signs. Most of Mycoplasma microorganisms have a secondary role in the appearance of infection in cattle. Differently, Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) has a primary role in the infection of cattle. It has been proved that M. bovis frequently causes pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis in cows. Besides, M. bovis is identified as a causative agent in meningitis, middle ear infection, keratoconjunctivitis, decubitus abscesses, vaginitis and miscarriages in cows. Diagnostic was done based on the clinical signs and detection of the causative agent, in individual animals and in the herds as whole. The methods used for diagnostic can be cultivation of the causative agent or fluorescence test for antigen detection in pathological material. Also, the detection of specific antibodies can be done, applying different serological methods: fast agglutination on a plate, indirect hemiinhibition, agar gel immunodifussion, CF, ELISA, etc. Polymerasa chain reaction (PCR) is a sensitive method which is mostly used for confirmatory etiological diagnostic. The treatment of Mycoplasma infection is very demanding due to the resistance to most frequently used antibiotics and therefore very different from treating any other bacterial infection. M. bovis is one of the most complicated agents for control as its response to the treatment is weak. A good program for eradication of mycoplasmosis is based on early carrier detection and they are excluded the herds.