Immunohistochemical detection of Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides small colony type in lungs of slaughtered cattle at Morogoro slaughterhouse, Tanzania

Diagnosis of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in carrier animals remains to be a challenge in developing countries partly because of lack of diagnostic tools that can detect asymptomatic animals. As a result many apparently healthy animals pose a potential impending epidemic in periods of stress. We examined condemned lungs with CBPP-like lesions from apparently healthy slaughtered animals to confirm presence of the disease in these animals. A total of 13 lungs collected at abattoir were examined immunohistochemically using 3H12 and 6E3 monoclonal antibodies against Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides (MmmSC), the causative agent of CBPP. Both 3H12 and 6E3 antibodies detected the MmmSC antigens in all the 13 lungs in bronchial, bronchiolar and alveolar epithelia, bronchial glands, bronchial cartilage, and in alveoli. We conclude that CBPP is still present in various places of Tanzania, posing a threat to livestock production and that immunohistochemistry can be an efficient diagnostic method to confirm presence of the disease in asymptomatic healthy animals passed for slaughter.Keywords: CBPP, cattle, monoclonal antibody, lung parenchyma, MmmSC antigens, immunohistochemistr