Progressive interstitial pneumonia in goats

Seven Anglo-Nubian goats, 5 months to 3 1/2 years old, developed clinical signs of increased respiratory rate, weight loss and exercise intolerance. Post-mortem examination of the goats revealed extensive consolidation of the lungs involving all lobes. Lesions, consisting of peribronchial and perivascular lymphoid cuffing, accumulations of homogeneous eosinophilic material in alveolar spaces, alveolar epithelialisation and thickening of alveolar septa as a result of lymphocytic infiltration, were detected histologically. A syncytial forming virus was consistently isolated from affected animals in explant cultures of lung, synovial membrane and choroid plexus. This agent had similar growth characteristics to the caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) virus and the possible relationship between the respiratory disease and the diseases caused by the CAE virus is discussed.     

The effect of chronic non-progressive pneumonia on weight gain of pasturefed lambs

The liveweight gains and carcass weights of 40 lambs grazed under pastoral conditions were compared with those of a similar group with chronic non-progressive pneumonia which had been induced by intranasal inoculation of an aerosol of homogenised pneumonic lung at about 120 days of age. Half the lambs from each group were killed 30 days post-inoculation following rotational grazing on high quality pasture. At this time the pneumonic lambs had a mean liveweight gain of 1.74 kg less than the controls. The remainder were slaughtered at 60 days, when drier conditions prevailed, by which time the difference in mean liveweight had increased to 2.19 kg. During the second period, four of the severely affected lambs lost weight. A significant linear relationship was found between liveweight gain and the extent of the pneumonic lesions which indicated that a reduction of nearly 1 kg/month could be expected for every 10% of the lung surface area affected. Carcass weights were reduced by a mean of 1.5 kg over the 60-day period, 1.39 kg of which occurred in the first 30 days.     

The effect of chronic non-progressive pneumonia on weight gain of pasture-fed lambs

The liveweight gains and carcass weights of 40 lambs grazed under pastoral conditions were compared with those of a similar group with chronic non-progressive pneumonia which had been induced by intranasal inoculation of an aerosol of homogenised pneumonic lung at about 120 days of age. Half the lambs from each group were killed 30 days post-inoculation following rotational grazing on high quality pasture. At this time the pneumonic lambs had a mean liveweight gain of 1.74 kg less than the controls. The remainder were slaughtered at 60 days, when drier conditions prevailed, by which time the difference in mean liveweight had increased to 2.19 kg. During the second period, four of the severely affected lambs lost weight. A significant linear relationship was found between liveweight gain and the extent of the pneumonic lesions which indicated that a reduction of nearly 1 kg/month could be expected for every 10% of the lung surface area affected. Carcass weights were reduced by a mean of 1.5 kg over the 60-day period, 1.39 kg of which occurred in the first 30 days.     

Chronic non-progressive pneumonia of sheep in New Zealand - a review of the role of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae

Chronic non-progressive pneumonia (CNP) is a common disease which affects lambs in New Zealand during late summer and autumn. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae can be recovered from a high proportion of lesions but it is also present in some normal lungs. Bacteria, especially Pasteurella haemolytica, can also be recovered from more than half the lungs of affected animals. Isolates of M. ovipneumoniae are genetically heterogeneous, as demonstrated by examination of their DNA or total cellular proteins, and are serologically heterogeneous as shown by metabolic inhibition tests. The number of strains present in New Zealand is large and several distinguishable strains can be recovered from each affected lung. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae has pathogenic potential as indicated by its ability to produce hydrogen peroxide, cause ciliostasis and by its possession of a capsule. Chronic non-progressive pneumonia can be transmitted consistently to over 50% of lambs by inoculation of pooled pneumonic lung homogenate and transmission can be suppressed by broad spectrum antibiotics. In contrast, penicillin does not prevent the development of lesions but diminishes their severity. Pooled lung homogenate treated with digitonin, which inactivates mycoplasmas, has failed to transmit CNP. Pure cultures of M. ovipneumoniae produce only mild lesions in some animals, whereas inoculation with pooled lung homogenate (from which no viruses were isolated) containing mixed strains of M. ovipneumoniae and free from bacteria, is more effective in producing lesions. Research work to date suggests that CNP may be initiated by colonisation of the lung by M. ovipneumoniae which causes ciliostasis and elicits an exudate allowing colonisation of the lungs by bacteria especially M. haemolytica and by other strains of M. ovipneumoniae. The immune response to the initial strain of M. ovipneumoniae may inhibit its replication but would be less effective in inhibiting heterologous strains of the organism allowing their sequential replication. Eventually production of a broad immune response to M. ovipneumoniae would lead to its elimination which in turn would facilitate the elimination of other microorganisms and the resolution of lesions. As natural immunity to CNP occurs within the first year, it may be possible to develop an effective and useful vaccine. Such a vaccine may need to include multiple strains of M. ovipneumoniae.     

Atypical pneumonia associated with a Mycoplasma isolate in a kitten

An atypical case of Mycoplasma pneumonia with an unusual radiographic and computed tomographic pattern was diagnosed in a Siamese kitten. The cat showed no response to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy including enrofloxacin. The administration of doxycycline led to a dramatic clinical and radiographic improvement.     

Virus-like particles in buffy coat cells of normal goats and goats infected with progressive pneumonia virus.

By electron microscopy, virus-like particles (VLP) were seen in neutrophils and lymphocytes from buffy coats prepared from 5 goats inoculated with progressive pneumonia virus (PPV) and 3 noninoculated goats. The VLP were 80 to 120 nm in diameter, limited by a unit membrane, and resembled PPV, visna virus, and other members of the oncornavirus family. Some VLP seemed to have electron-dense nucleoids and external spikes. In neutrophils, VLP were observed budding into vacuoles; rarely, intravacuolar clusters were seen. In lymphocytes, VLP were seen in vacuoles. Free VLP and budding of VLP from external cell surfaces were not seen. In vitro incubation of buffy coat cells with mitogens did not affect the frequency of VLP. Although the VLP are similar to PPV, the exact nature of the particles and their relationship to PPV is not clearly understood.     

山羊血矛线虫和支原体性肺炎混合感染的治疗

2008年11月23日,浙江省缙云县某羊场的山羊,因腹泻使用头孢噻肟、青霉素等多种抗菌药物,久治无效,先后死羔羊13头.经剖检与实验室诊断,本次疫病的主要致病原因是血矛线虫和支原体混合感染.     

贵州省四县山羊隐孢子虫调查

隐孢子虫病是由隐孢子虫科隐孢子虫属的隐孢子虫 (Cryptosporidium)寄生于人和动物的消化系统、呼吸系统等系统器官而引起的一种以严重腹泻为主要特征的世界性人畜共患寄生性原虫病。自1 90 7年 Tyzzer首先在实验小鼠的胃腺中发现以来 ,国内外已有大量人体和动物感染的报道。但贵州地区山羊隐孢子虫的感染和致病情况目前尚未见报道。近年来贵州省由于山羊腹泻每年导致 2 0 %左右的羊死亡 ,造成巨大的经济损失 ,已严重地影响养羊业的发展。为了及时查清贵州山羊腹泻的病因 ,为有效防治该病提供科学依据 ,我们于 1 999年 1 2月至2 0 0 0年 4…     

Seroconversion to bovine respiratory syncytial virus in goats with pneumonia in Zaire

Coupled sera were taken among goats suffering from pneumonia in Zaire. The presence of antibodies to bovine syncytial respiratory virus was investigated by a seroneutralization test. Out of 26 animals, 9 already had antibodies at the time of the first blood sampling, 9 presented a seroconversion and 8 remained seronegative during the two months of observation. These results suggest it would be useful to study the frequency of the infection of small ruminants with this virus and its clinical and economical impact in Central Africa.     

Seroreactivity of Peruvian sheep and goats to small ruminant lentivirus-ovine progressive pneumonia virus

Sera from 3,369 sheep and 1,394 goats in Peru were examined by agar-gel immunodiffusion for antibodies to ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV). The point prevalence rates for antibodies to OPPV in sheep were 1.7% to 40.6% (mean, 19.02%) in the 7 flocks studied, whereas for goats, the point prevalence rates for antibodies that cross-reacted with OPPV in 12 herds were 0.0% to 45.1%. For sheep, a direct association between increasing age and increasing seroreactivity to OPPV was established, and there was evidence to indicate that lambs born to primiparous ewes and raised separated from all other sheep after they were weaned may have been less likely to become infected with OPPV than those lambs born to multiparous ewes and not separated from other sheep after they were weaned. For goats, antibodies to OPPV were detected in 7 of 12 herds studied, the highest infection rate being present within a herd in the Lima department (district).