Mycoplasma infection in cattle

Abstract

Mycoplasma spp. have been associated with many disease entities in cattle including mastitis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis media, decubital abscesses, meningitis, reproductive problems and the pneumonia-arthritis symdrome. Since there are no pathognomonic signs to aid in making a clinical diagnosis, diagnosis of Mycoplasma infections presents a challenge to practitioners. Culture with identification of the organism and other ancillary tests are required for definitive diagnosis. Failure to respond to treatment is common. Isolation/segregation and culling infected or carrier animals are the best recommendations for control and prevention of Mycoplasma infections in a herd. In a companion paper, the pneumonia-arthritis syndrome was discussed. This paper reviews other disease entities caused by Mycoplasma spp.