title: Mycoplasma bovis infection in respiratory disease of dairy calves less than one month old.
abstract: Mycoplasma bovis is an important cause of bovine respiratory disease, especially in young calves where it can also cause arthritis, tenosynovitis and otitis. During 2009 and 2010 a survey was carried out on carcasses of calves less than one month old sent to the Diagnostic Laboratory of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna in Brescia, regardless of the presence of lung lesions, to detect this pathogen. PCR tests for Mycoplasma spp. and M. bovis were applied. 83 out of 224 (37%) lung tissue samples examined were positive at PCR test for Mycoplasma spp.; in 64 cases of these we observed typical respiratory lesions (P<0.001). M. bovis was identified in 26 out of 83 (31%) lung tissue samples positive at PCR test for Mycoplasma spp.; in 24 cases of these we observed typical respiratory lesions (P=0.039). Our data demonstrate that presence of Mycoplasma spp. and M. bovis positively correlates with pneumonic lung lesions in young dairy calves.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Via Antonio Bianchi 9, Brescia, Italy. stefano.giovannini@izsler.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Zanoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salogni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cinotti
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Alborali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D003612:Dairying; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D045682:Mycoplasma bovis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Dairy calves; Mycoplasma bovis; Mycoplasma spp.; PCR test; Respiratory syndrome