In 2005 a Mycoplasma species was isolated from ocular-conjunctival swabs from an adult male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) from the Valle d'Aosta Region, Northern Italy. The animal suffered from bilateral ocular discharge with diffuse inflammation, severe corneal involvement of the left eye and mild corneal opacity of the right eye. Histologic examination revealed a keratoconjunctivitis characterized by lymphocytic and plasmacellular infiltration. Laboratory investigations of the isolate included culture, transmission electron microscopy, PCR, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, as well as DNA sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene. These tests identified the isolate as Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri large-colony serovar, an organism that has occasionally been associated with keratoconjunctivitis in goats. For a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to carry out laboratory investigations, as clinical cases of keratoconjunctivitis in wild ruminants are not always ascribable to Mycoplasma conjunctivae.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 October 2010
CHARACTERIZATION OF MYCOPLASMA ISOLATED FROM AN IBEX (CAPRA IBEX) SUFFERING FROM KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS IN NORTHERN ITALY
Massimo Giangaspero,
Riccardo Orusa,
Robin A. J. Nicholas,
Ryô Harasawa,
Roger D. Ayling,
Colin P. Churchward,
Adrian Whatmore,
David Bradley,
Serena Robetto,
Luciano Sacchi,
Lorenzo Domenis
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 46 • No. 4
October 2010
Vol. 46 • No. 4
October 2010
Characterization
denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)
ibex (Capra ibex ibex)
Mycoplasma
Northern Italy
phylogenetic analysis