Haryana Vet. (June, 2015) 54 (1), 53-55 Research Article OCCURRENCE OF MYCOPLASMA INFECTION IN BARBARI GOATS OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA UDIT JAIN*, AMIT KUMAR VERMA and B.C. PAL Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Uttar Pradesh Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura-281 001, India Received: 30.03.2015; Accepted: 17.05.2015 ABSTRACT During the study period, 838 samples of Barbari goats from different districts of Uttar Pradesh were tested for the presence of Mycoplasmas. Of these, 68 (8.11%) yielded Mycoplasmas. The prevalence was highest in goats of more than 12 months of age as compared to the less than six months and of age between 6-12 months. The geographical variation in prevalence varied non-significantly between 7.00- 9.05%. The prevalence was significantly lowest in summer (3.57%) and highest in winter (10.85%). The results indicated that the Mycoplasmas are prevalent in goats of this region. Keywords: Mycoplasmas, Prevalence, Goat, Uttar Pradesh, India Mycoplasmas are the smallest fastidious bacteria Some of the animals in these flocks had respiratory leading to various diseases in animals as well as man. In symptoms and pneumonia. A total of 80 samples (lung sheep and goats, they may cause respiratory disease, pieces, swabs from nasal tracts, trachea, pleural fluids) arthritis, eye infections, genital disease and sometimes were collected from 20 goats during necropsy and these mastitis (Cottew et al., 1987; Awan et al., 2009; Sharif and were processed for the isolation of Mycoplasma species. Muhammad, 2009; Kumar et al., 2011, 2012; Jain et al., Isolation and Identification of Mycoplasma: The 2012; Kumar et al., 2014). Among various diseases, nasal swabs and samples from lung, trachea, pleural respiratory diseases are common in goats (Tariq, 1980). fluids were cultured in modified mycoplasma medium Diagnosis of mycoplasma infection is very difficult on the basis of clinical signs, pathological lesions or serological (Hayflick, 1964). Briefly, all of the cultured tubes and plates were incubated at 370C in 5% CO environment. tests. Therefore, isolation and identification of pathogenic 2 organisms are required for confirming diagnosis. For The broth cultures were observed daily for any color preparing the suitable control strategies, knowledge of change or presence of cloudiness indicating growth of epidemiology, surveillance and monitoring of disease is of Mycoplasma. A clear broth with granularity and turbidity prime importance. Therefore, the present pilot study was with no sediment and pH change from 7.8 to 6.9 were conducted to determine the distribution of Mycoplasma in suggestive of Mycoplasma. The change of pH was goats and its association with risk factors in certain districts evident from the colour change of phenol red indicator of Uttar Pradesh, India. (red to reddish cherry yellow) indicating mycoplasma growth. The solid agar plates were also observed on MATERIALS AND METHODS alternate days for the presence of characteristic “fried Sampling: Braj region includes Agra, Aligarh, Etah, egg” micro-colonies of Mycoplasma species using the Hathras and Mathura districts in Uttar Pradesh, India and stereomicroscope. Isolates were purified individually by this region has humid subtropical climate with dry winter, incubating the individual colony for 2-3 days on modified average annual temperature (11.0ºC to 36.9ºC), annual liquid mycoplasma medium and then filtered through 0.45 rainfall (650-1000mm), relative humidity (20-50%) and µ syringe filter. Purified isolates were subjected to vegetation (tropical dry deciduous forest). There is digitonin sensitivity and battery of staining with Diene’s continuous migration of sheep and goats from bordering method (Klieneberger-Nobel, 1962), acridine orange R states such as Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. (Clark et al., 1960), Gram’s staining and biochemical In the present study, 838 goats were examined from five tests such as glucose fermentation, arginine different flocks of various districts of Uttar Pradesh. decarboxylation, casein digestion for identification of *Corresponding author: [email protected] Mycoplasma species (Poveda, 1998). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Of 80 samples, Mycoplasma sp. could be isolated from 68 samples. Thus overall percent positivity of Mycoplasma infection was 8.11% (68/838) in five districts of Uttar Pradesh (Table 1). All the isolates showed the typical characteristics of Mycoplasma (Figs. 1, 2). The isolation of mycoplasma from the lung tissues and/or nasal swabs of goats have previously been reported (Cottew et al., 1969; Tariq, 1980; Kusiluka et al., 2000). The association of individual animal-level factors Fig 1. Mycoplasma colonies after Acridine orange R staining (age groups and the place of the animals) and environmental factors (season) with Mycoplasma infection is shown in Table 1. Occurrence was higher in winter season followed by rainy and summer seasons (Table 1). More occurrence in winter season might be due to long survival of organisms in winter months, huddling of animals due to cold etc. (DaMassa et al., 1983). However, DaMassa et al. (1992) and Frey (2002) reported high prevalence of mycoplasmas in summer season. In this study, percent positivity of Mycoplasma from goats varied significantly in different age groups i.e. below six month (8.31%), between 6-12 months of age group (5.08%) and more Fig 2. Mycoplasma colonies after Diene’s staining than 12 months of age (10.00%). Age related diffrence Table 1 in occurrence of Mycoplasma has earlier been reported Description of risk factors for Mycoplasmas infection in (Thiaucourt and Bolske, 1996). Barbari goats of Uttar Pradesh, India District-wise prevalence revealed that Mycoplasmas Parameters Group/district Animal Animal tested positive (%) in goats ranged from 7.00% to 8.75% (Table 1). Based Season* Summer (Mar to Jun) 134 06 (4.48) on the available data, this variation could not be properly Rainy (Jul to Sep) 256 19 (7.42) explained; however, this might be attributed to difference Winter (Oct to Feb) 448 43 (9.60) in management practices. Overall, the high prevalence of Age* < 6 months 421 35 (8.31) Mycoplasma in goats is alarming. There is a need to 6-12 months 177 09 (5.08) further explore their pathogenic role in respiratory >12 months 240 24 (10.00) problems of goats (Awan et al., 2009) along with Districts Agra 201 15 (7.46) development of the vaccine for this serious but Aligarh 137 12 (8.75) underreported disease. Hathras 157 11 (7.00) Etah 100 08 (8.00) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Mathura 243 22 (9.05) The authors wish to thank Dean, College of *Chi-square test (P<0.05) Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry and Hon’ble Statistical Analysis: The positivity to Mycoplasma Vice chancellor, DUVASU, Mathura, India for providing all infection was estimated using the ratio of positive results the necessary support and facilities for conducting this study. to the total number of animals examined. The epidemiological information about the animals was stored REFERENCES in a computer database. 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