Examination of the role of Mycoplasma bovis in bovine pneumonia and a mathematical model for its evaluation

Abstract

The authors screened 34 large cattle herds for the presence ofMycoplasma bovisinfection by examining slaughtered cattle for macroscopic lung lesions, by culturingM. bovisfrom lung lesions and at the same time by testing sera for the presence of antibodies againstM. bovis. Among the 595 cattle examined, 33.9% had pneumonic lesions, mycoplasmas were isolated from 59.9% of pneumonic lung samples, and 10.9% of sera from those animals contained antibodiestoM. bovis. In 25.2% of the casesM. boviswas isolated from lungs with no macroscopic lesions. The proportion of seropositive herds was 64.7%. The average seropositivity rate of individuals was 11.3% but in certain herds it exceeded 50%. A probability model was developed for examining the relationship among the occurrence of pneumonia, the isolation ofM. bovisfrom the lungs and the presence ofM. bovisspecific antibodies in sera.