Isolation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum from geese

Two breeding flocks of 2-year-old geese in the Landes region of Southwest France were cultured for mycoplasmas. In one flock of 134 birds Mycoplasma gallisepticum was isolated from three individuals, from a different site in each bird (i.e. oesophagus, trachea, cloaca). M. gallisepticum was also isolated from the semen of one goose in the other flock of 70 birds, but in neither flock could the true incidence be determined because of prolific overgrowth by acholeplasmas in nearly all the samples.