The role of Mycoplasma bovis in bovine respiratory disease outbreaks in veal calf feedlots.
To assess the prevalence and relative importance of Mycoplasma bovis among the pathological agents implicated in bovine respiratory disease (BRD), we surveyed 135 veal calves from nine feedlots in eastern France during naturally occurring outbreaks of respiratory disease. Occurrence of respiratory pathogens, M. bovis, bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) virus, bovine respiratory syncytial (BRS) virus and parainfluenza-3 (PI3) virus was investigated by seroconversion and isolation of bacteria and viruses from broncho-alveolar fluids. M. bovis and pathogenic respiratory bacteria were isolated in eight of the nine feedlots, and from 106 and 32, respectively, of the 135 tested animals. Seroconversion to PI3 virus occurred in four lots. BVD and BRS viruses were detected in eight and one lot, respectively. M. bovis was the most frequently isolated aetiologic agent in these BRD outbreaks, spreading early and widely throughout the affected units (60-100% rate of isolation and seroconversion). These results stress the importance of M. bovis in the BRD complex.
Arcangioli
Marie-Anne
MA
Unité Mixte de Recherche Mycoplasmoses des Ruminants, Ecole Vétérinaire de Lyon, 1 avenue Bourgelat, 69280 Marcy l'Etoile, France. ma.arcangioli@vet-lyon.fr
Duet
Arnaud
A
Meyer
Gilles
G
Dernburg
Ann
A
Bézille
Pierre
P
Poumarat
François
F
Le Grand
Dominique
D
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D048090:Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D045682:Mycoplasma bovis / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015995:Prevalence