Mycoplasma as an Environmental Isolate on Dairy Farms

Abstract

Mycoplasma bovis is an important bovine pathogen causing mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis, and metritis. Mycoplasma infections are considered contagious, with transmission from cow to cow as a contagious mastitis spread at milking time or as a respiratory disease. As part of follow up to an earlier mycoplasma prevalence study, this study evaluated the possibility of mycoplasmas as environmental pathogens on dairy farms with mycoplasma mastitis affecting their herds. During a clinical mastitis outbreak caused by Mycoplasma spp, a sample of recycled sand bedding from lactating cow housing areas was culture-positive for mycoplasma. Additional sampling found 14/20 sand-bedded pens positive for Mycoplasma spp on the same farm. Mycoplasma spp were subsequently isolated from other used bedding samples from two other farms with mycoplasma mastitis in their herds; all positive beddings were sand, with the exception of straw bedding from one pen. Presence of M. bovis was verified with PCR testing of samples from two of the three farms; no PCR testing was done on samples from the third farm. The possibility of mycoplasma infections in dairy cattle being transmitted from contaminated bedding or other environmental sources should be investigated further.