Microbiological and serological studies on caprine pneumonias in Oman

Eight of 10 typical cases of contagious caprine pleuro-pneumonia in Oman yielded strain F38-like mycoplasmas from the lungs in high titre, but no other mycoplasmas: both negative animals had been treated with tylosin shortly before death. Among 21 other lungs examined three of six cases of acute pneumonia yielded Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae; one also yielded M capricolum. M ovipneumoniae was also isolated from all eight cases of chronic pneumonia sampled from an abattoir, and from the lungs of three animals which died without overt signs of pneumonia. A single isolate of M arginini and three of unidentified mycoplasmas were also obtained from goats with and without pneumonia. Various bacterial species were isolated, none of which predominated. Antibodies to M mycoides subspecies capri (M m capri) and strain F38 were detected in sera from eight different sources. Assuming titres of 1 in 40 or more as positive in the indirect haemagglutination test used, 29 per cent of 422 serum samples had antibodies to M m capri alone, 2.6 per cent to strain F38 alone and 3.6 per cent to both organisms. These results confirm the presence of F38-like mycoplasmas in Oman, and indicate also widespread infection with M m capri. The role of the latter in caprine pneumonias in Oman requires elucidation.