Pathological changes and immunohistochemical characterization of lung lesions in small ruminants naturally infected with Mycoplasma agalactiae

Abstract

Respiratory ailments caused by mycoplasma organisms are considered as important diseases of small ruminants causing a serious economic impact. The present work describes the pathological changes in lungs of sheep and goat naturally infected with Mycoplasma agalactiae organisms. Pneumonic lungs from sheep and goat (n=30) were collected from slaughter houses and M. agalactiae was isolated from 8 cases. The histopathological changes in the infected lungs were hyperplasia of bronchial epithelium, hyperplasia of BALT (bronchus associated lymphoid tissue) and infiltration of mononuclear cells around the airways and blood vessels, suggestive of broncho-interstitial pneumonia. The presence of the organism in the lesions was also demonstrated by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal hyperimmune serum raised against M. agalactiae.