Atypical non-progressive pneumonia in goats

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Pathology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Goat herds can be affected by severe respiratory diseases.
• Bacterial pathogens are often implicated in ovine and caprine respiratory disease outbreaks.
• Atypical proliferative pneumonia has been described in other livestock but not previously in Portuguese goats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of a severe respiratory disease outbreak in a Portuguese goat herd.
• To identify the specific bacterial agents involved in the outbreak.
• To document the pathological findings and report the first occurrence of atypical pneumonia in goats in Portugal.

Main Methods:

• Case definition and epidemiological investigation of the outbreak.
• Post-mortem examination of affected goat kids.
• Bacteriological culture and identification of pathogens from lung and pleural fluid samples.

Main Results:

• The outbreak was associated with high mortality rates (>20%) in young goats (kids).
• Key bacterial pathogens identified included Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, Mycoplasma arginini, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella multocida.
• Post-mortem examinations revealed severe pleuropneumonia, lung consolidation, abundant pleural effusion, and pericarditis.

Conclusions:

• Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, M. arginini, M. haemolytica, and P. multocida were identified as causative agents of the severe respiratory disease in this goat herd.
• The pathological findings are consistent with severe bacterial pneumonia and pleuritis.
• This outbreak represents the first documented case of atypical proliferative pneumonia in goats in Portugal, highlighting a potential emerging disease concern.