Bacteria associated with infectious keratoconjunctivitis outbreak in confined lambs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Microbiology
• Ocular Pathology
• Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

• Infectious keratoconjunctivitis is a prevalent ocular disease in confined sheep populations.
• Limited data exists regarding the specific etiological agents and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in sheep outbreaks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify bacterial etiological factors contributing to infectious keratoconjunctivitis in a confined lamb population.
• To assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated bacterial pathogens.

Main Methods:

• Bacterial isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing from ocular swabs of 23 lambs with varying lesion severity.
• Molecular detection of Mollicutes, including Mycoplasma conjunctivae, Mycoplasma agalactiae, and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri.

Main Results:

• Moraxella sp. and Mollicutes were detected across all disease severity groups.
• Mycoplasma conjunctivae was identified in all groups, while Mycoplasma agalactiae was present only in severe cases (Group III).
• One Moraxella sp. isolate exhibited resistance to erythromycin and intermediate resistance to tetracycline.

Conclusions:

• Moraxella sp. and specific Mycoplasma species are significant contributors to infectious keratoconjunctivitis in sheep.
• The low observed antimicrobial resistance suggests a potentially high success rate for treatment interventions.