CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL PROFILE AND FREQUENCY OF MYCOPLASMA MYCOIDES SUBSP. CAPRI INFECTION IN GOATS IN NORTHERN ZONE OF KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Caprine mycoplasmoses are important diseases of goats and occur worldwide. The current study was designed with the objective of investigating the frequency and clinico-pathological profile of caprine mycoplasmosis in two districts in the northern zone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Three hundred nasal swabs were collected, 150 each for Swat and Buner from goats showing clinical signs of respiratory mycoplasmosis. In districts Swat and Buner, 21.3% and 31.3% samples were mycoplasma positive (respectively). All isolates were identified as Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri by biochemical and growth inhibition testing. Blood and serum samples from 30 mycoplasma positive goats were collected for studying hematological and blood biochemistry profile. Hematological results showed that there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in Total Erythrocyte Count (TEC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and hemoglobin concentration while significant increase (P<0.05) in the Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin and Mean Corpuscular Volume value was recorded. Blood biochemistry revealed that total serum protein and albumin were decreased significantly (P<0.05) while there was a significant increase (P<0.05) in serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and globulin fraction of serum. It can be concluded that Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri is the most prevalent species of caprine respiratory mycoplasmas in the northern zone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.