Ultrasonographic findings in goats with contagious caprine pleuropneumonia caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae

Abstract

BackgroundIn goats, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a cause of major economic losses in Africa, Asia and in the Middle East. There is no information emphasising the importance of diagnostic ultrasound in goats with CCPP caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). This study was designed to describe the ultrasonographic findings in goats with CCPP caused by Mccp and to correlate ultrasonographic with post-mortem findings. To this end, 55 goats with CCPP were examined. Twenty-five healthy adult goats were used as a control group.ResultsMajor clinical findings included harried, painful respiration, dyspnoea and mouth breathing. On ultrasonography, a liver-like echotexture was imaged in 13 goats. Upon post-mortem examination, all 13 goats exhibited unilateral pulmonary consolidation. Seven goats had a unilateral hypoechoic pleural effusion. At necropsy, the related lung was consolidated and the pleural fluid appeared turbid and greenish. Pleural abscessiation detected in five goats was confirmed post-mortem. Twenty-eight goats had a bright, fibrinous matrix extending over the chest wall containing numerous anechoic fluid pockets with medial displacement and compression of lung tissue. Echogenic tags imaged floating in the fluid were found upon post-mortem examination to be fibrin. In two goats, a consolidated right parenchyma was imaged together with hypoechoic pericardial effusions with echogenic tags covering the epicardium. At necropsy, the right lung was consolidated in three goats and fibrin threads were found covering the epicardium and pericardium.ConclusionsIn goats with CCPP, the extension and the severity of the pulmonary changes could not be verified with clinical certainty in most cases, whereas this was possible most of the time with sonography, thus making the prognosis easier. Ultrasonographic examination of the pleurae and the lungs helped in the detection of various lesions.

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia – a comprehensive review

“…They quoted that sonography can be helpful in detecting extension and severity of changes in affected lung, thus favoring prognosis. Liver-like echotexture, unilateral hypoechoic pleural effusion and turbid or greenish pleural fluid exudation, hypoechoic or anechoic area surrounded by hyperechoic zone indicating pleural abscessiation, echogenic tags immersed in the pleural fluid indicating fibrin deposits, extended echogenic areas with immersed anechoic areas indicating fibrin adhesions with exudate filled pockets, hypoechoic pericardial areas with echogenic tags overlying the epicardium indicating pericardial effusions and fibrin deposition on epicardium were some of the USG findings revealed by Tharwat and Al-Sobayil (2017) in CCPP affected goats.…”

“…(2016) and LAT by El-Manakhly and Tharwat (2016), Sheikh et al. (2016), and Tharwat and Al-Sobayil (2017). Bahir et al.…”

“…USG is not able to visualize physiologically normal lung as air does not allow passing of waves but a diseased lung or a number of respiratory pathologies which alter air and fluid level, or membrane structures can be detected (Braun et al. 1997; Tharwat and Oikawa 2011; Tharwat and Al-Sobayil 2017).…”

“…Recently, Tharwat and Al-Sobayil (2017) studied ultrasonographic changes in goats affected with CCPP. They used USG both as diagnostic and post-mortem tool.…”

“…2015), multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Settypalli et al. 2016), and ultrasonography (USG) (Tharwat and Al-Sobayil 2017). Simultaneously, in the current times, new arenas and possibilities and risks associated with CCPP are being explored, like the one of exploring novel vaccine candidates (March et al.…”