PATHOLOGY AND BRONCHOSCOPIC STUDIES IN MYCOPLASMA-MYCOIDES SUBSP CAPRI INFECTION IN GOATS

Pleuropneumonic symptoms and lesions were produced in goats experimentally infected with bronchoscopic inoculations of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri. Hyperthermia (104-degrees-106-degrees-F) and respiratory distress with coarse moist rales, besides dullness, depression and coughing resulted due to infection. Bronchoalveolar lavage cytology revealed mild neutrophilia (58%), lymphocytopenia (20%) and mild monocytosis (17%) indicating strong correlation with haematological findings. Haemograms were depressed. Pathonanatomically the apical and intermediate lobes were the most frequently affected. The pleura and interlobular septa were oedematous, variously thickened with fibrinous exudate and infiltrated with neutrophils and mononuclear cells. The alveoli and bronchioles were usually filled with dense aggregates of neutrophils and macrophages. Mediastinal and bronchial lymphnodes revealed neutrophilic infiltration in subcapsular and medullary sinuses, besides congestion. Other visceral organs revealed vascular congestion.