Bacteria isolated from the lower respiratory tract of sheep and their relationship to clinical signs of sheep respiratory disease

Abstract

Respiratory diseases are among the most important diseases in sheep flocks. Herein was studied the bacterial etiology of respiratory disease and the clinical signs of 99 female and male sheep breed in the states of São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. After physical examination of animals, tracheobronchial flushing samples were obtained. The usual bacteria and Mycoplasma spp. were searched, as well as their association with the clinical status and clinical signs of sheep with respiratory disease. The main observed signs were: tachypnea (75%), increase of rectal temperature (09.4%), mucopurulent/purulent nasal discharge (21.9%), cough (25%), dyspnea (31.2%), changes of lung sounds at auscultation (87.5%) and chest percussion (28.1%) in pneumonic sheep. Non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria and Bacillus sp. were the most isolated bacteria. Microorganisms of the Mollicutes class were molecularly (PCR) detected in 33.3% of the animals. In addition, the specific detection of M. mycoides subsp. capri was described for the first time in sheep from the state of São Paulo, Brazil.