Mycoplasmosis in ferrets

Emerg Infect Dis. 2012 Nov;18(11):1763-70. doi: 10.3201/eid1811.120072.

Abstract

We report an outbreak of severe respiratory disease associated with a novel Mycoplasma species in ferrets. During 2009-2012, a respiratory disease characterized by nonproductive coughing affected ≈8,000 ferrets, 6-8 weeks of age, which had been imported from a breeding facility in Canada. Almost 95% became ill, but almost none died. Treatments temporarily decreased all clinical signs except cough. Postmortem examinations of euthanized ferrets revealed bronchointerstitial pneumonia with prominent hyperplasia of bronchiole-associated lymphoid tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis with polyclonal antibody against Mycoplasma bovis demonstrated intense staining along the bronchiolar brush border. Bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 12 affected ferrets yielded fast-growing, glucose-fermenting mycoplasmas. Nucleic acid sequence analysis of PCR-derived amplicons from portions of the 16S rDNA and RNA polymerase B genes failed to identify the mycoplasmas but showed that they were most similar to M. molare and M. lagogenitalium. These findings indicate a causal association between the novel Mycoplasma species and the newly recognized pulmonary disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Canada / epidemiology
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Female
  • Ferrets / microbiology*
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Lung / microbiology
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung / ultrastructure
  • Mycoplasma / classification*
  • Mycoplasma / genetics
  • Mycoplasma / ultrastructure
  • Mycoplasma Infections / diagnosis
  • Mycoplasma Infections / epidemiology
  • Mycoplasma Infections / veterinary*
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • United States / epidemiology

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S