Contagious

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is one of the most severe diseases of goats. This disease, which affects the respiratory tract, is extremely contagious and frequently fatal; in some naive flocks, the morbidity and mortality rates may reach 100%. CCPP causes major economic losses in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, where it is endemic. Definitive diagnosis can be difficult, as the causative agent is one of the most fastidious mycoplasmas and can be missed during routine bacteriological analysis. CCPP is now known to also affect some species of exotic ungulates. This has raised concerns for zoos and for the conservation of some endangered species exposed to goats. Etiology Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia is caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (formerly Mycoplasma biotype F-38), a member of the family Mycoplasmataceae. Epidemiological studies of this organism are still limited; however, genetic analyses have grouped M. capripneumoniae isolates into two major clusters representing two evolutionary lines of the organism, five lineages whic