Occurrence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is one of the most important poultry pathogens that can also infect wild birds, but knowledge of potential non-poultry hosts that could be reservoirs of M. gallisepticum is limited. For the paper presented here, we screened three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Knowledge) to find articles on the occurrence of M. gallisepticum in different wild bird species that were published between 1951 and 2018. Among 314 studies found, we selected and included 50 original articles that met the pre-established criteria. From those publications we extracted the following information: name of the first author, year of publication, year of sample isolation, country, region, number of birds sampled, number of birds tested by each method, number of positive samples, diagnostic criteria, and if birds were wild or captive. Because different detection techniques were used to confirm the presence of M. gallisepticum in one animal, we decided to perform the meta analyses separately for each method. The estimated prevalence of M. gallisepticum in wild birds was different by each method of detection. Our summary revealed that M. gallisepticum was present in 56 species of bird belonging to 11 different orders, of which 21 species were reported suffering both past and current infection. Our work provides information on wild bird species that could be considered potential reservoirs or carriers of M. gallisepticum and could be helpful to set the direction for future research on the spread and phylogeny of M. gallisepticum in different hosts.

Detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in Turkey and Chicken Farms of Tamilnadu, India

“…MG is one of the most significant poultry pathogen affecting a wide range of birds including many wild birds (Dhondt et al, 2005). The systematic review and metaanalysis revealed the presence of MG in 56 species of birds belonging to 11 different orders (Sawicka et al, 2020). Hence, many wild bird species could be considered as possible reservoirs or carriers of MG.…”

Comparative Analysis of Fecal Microbiomes From Wild Waterbirds to Poultry, Cattle, Pigs, and Wastewater Treatment Plants for a Microbial Source Tracking Approach

“…In contrast, other genera were minor, including Mycoplasma that was detected in breeding ducks and mute swans. While few species are known as pathogens in birds, M. gallisepticum was detected in numerous wild bird species (Sawicka et al, 2020).…”

Molecular Differentiation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Outbreaks: A Last Decade Study on Italian Farms Using GTS and MLST

“…MG can cause reproductive and/or respiratory disorders, more specifically airsacculitis and other chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) [2]. MG mainly affects turkeys and chickens, but the infection of other avian species, such as quails, geese, guinea fowls, house finches, etc., is also reported [3]. This pathogen causes significant economic losses in the poultry industry due to higher carcass condemnation rates, growth retard, embryonal mortality, and reduced meat and egg production.…”