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. 2019 Feb 7;14(2):e0207420.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207420. eCollection 2019.

A pilot study of the effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae exposure on domestic lamb growth and performance

Thomas E Besser  1 , Jessica Levy  1 , Melissa Ackerman  2 , Danielle Nelson  1 , Kezia Manlove  3 , Kathleen A Potter  1 , Jan Busboom  4 , Margaret Benson  4
Affiliations

A pilot study of the effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae exposure on domestic lamb growth and performance

Thomas E Besser et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a globally distributed pathogen that has been associated with pneumonia in both domestic and wild Caprinae. It is closely related to M. hyopneumoniae, a respiratory pathogen of swine that is associated with decreased growth rates of pigs as well as clinical respiratory disease. In order to assess the effects of M. ovipneumoniae on lamb performance, we generated a cohort of lambs free of M. ovipneumoniae by segregation of test negative ewes after lambing, then compared the growth and carcass quality traits of M. ovipneumoniae-free and -colonized lambs from weaning to harvest. Some signs of respiratory disease were observed during the feeding trial in both lamb groups, but the M. ovipneumoniae-exposed group included more affected lambs and higher average disease scores. At harvest, lungs of lambs in both groups showed few grossly visible lesions, although the M. ovipneumoniae-exposed group did exhibit increased microscopic lung lesions (P<0.05). In addition, M. ovipneumoniae exposed lambs produced lower average daily gains (P<0.05), and lower yield grade carcasses (P<0.05) compared to those of non-exposed lambs. The results demonstrated the feasibility of test and segregation for elimination of M. ovipneumoniae from groups of sheep and suggested that this pathogen may impair lamb growth and productivity even in the absence of overt respiratory disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests. This specific study was supported by funding competitively awarded by the Wild Sheep Foundation. Additional research funding for the authors' respiratory disease related research has been received from the WSU Rocky Crate Endowment for Wild Sheep Disease Research, the US Department of Agriculture (including the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the US Forest Service), the US Geologic Survey, numerous chapters and affiliates of the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the WSU Fowler Emerging Infectious Diseases endowment. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Longitudinal sampling of 34 ewes for M. ovipneumoniae.
Each ewe was sampled using nasal swabs tested by reatlime PCR on 5 or 6 occasions between November 2015 and March 2016. In each boxplot, the central heavy line represents the median value, the boxes represent the quartiles, the whiskers indicate the largest and smallest observations within 1.5 quartiles of the box, and circles represent outlying values. The realtime PCR test is interpreted based on the CT score, with scores below 36 interpreted as detection of M. ovipneumoniae, scores of 40 interpreted as non-detection, and scores between 36 and 40 interpreted as indeterminate for detection.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Cumulative counts of lambs exhibiting respiratory disease signs, and their cumulative respiratory signs scores.
Data plotted represent 3-date rolling averages.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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