Mycoplasmosis

What is mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma?

Mycoplasmas are small, wall-less bacteria which cause disease in all major species of animals, including man. They are members of the class Mollicutes which also includes acholeplasmas, ureaplasmas hemoplasmas and spiroplasmas. There are more than 120 names Mycoplasma species. The majority of Mycoplasma species are host specific and are not zoonotic.

Clinical signs

Image of goats in Mauritius

In farm animals, mycoplasmas can cause respiratory disease, mastitis, arthritis, genital disease, and eye lesions.

The most important of these diseases are contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), contagious agalactia (CA) and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP). However, these are not present in Britain.

In Britain infections caused by Mycoplasma bovis in cattle, M. gallisepticum in chickens and M. hyopneumoniae in pigs result in considerable economic loss.

For further information, see our web page on mycoplasma diseases in the UK.

Mycoplasma Group

The Mycoplasma Group at VLA was assigned OIE Reference Laboratory status for contagious agalactia in May 2006.