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An Investigation of Ovine Pneumonia in Four Herds from Central Norway

En undersøkelse av ovin pneumoni i fire besetninger fra midt-Norge. I. Forekomst av pneumoni og mikrobiologiske funn

I. Prevalence of Pneumonia and Microbiological Findings

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 23, pages 248–258 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

In a study of 4 sheep herds, 1 apparently healthy and 3 having respiratory problems, lesions typical of subacute or chronic pneumonia were found in 3–36 % of slaughtered lambs. Occurrence appeared to be related to certain environmental factors such as pasture, whereas moderate lungworm invasion was not found to contribute to subacute or chronic pneumonia. Relation between pneumonia and low carcass weight was established only in 1 herd.

Lungs were subjected to microbiological examination. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae was isolated from both normal and pneumonic lungs from all 4 herds. The prevalence was far higher in pneumonic (98 %) than in normal ones (28 %). Bacteria, mostly Pasteurella haemolytica, were also found in both pneumonic (49 %) and normal (18 %) lungs from all 4 herds. These results confirm the conclusions of a previous study that M. ovipneumoniae is of etiological significance in subacute or chronic pneumonia, whereas bacteria mainly occur as secondary invaders. M. ovipneumoniae appears, however, only to be a potential pathogen. Examinations for Mycoplasma arginini and virus were negative and these agents are considered to be of less significance in subacute or chronic pneumonia under Norwegian conditions.

Sammendrag

Lunger fra samtlige sauer slaktet om høsten i 3 besetninger med pneumoni-problemer og 1 tilsynelatende frisk besetning ble undersøkt makroskopisk. Pneumoniske fortetninger typiske for subakutt eller kronisk pneumoni ble påvist i alle 4 besetninger, men forekomsten varierte fra 3 til 36 % av lammene. Ingen voksne dyr hadde lesjoner. Forekomsten syntes å ha sammenheng med enkelte miljøfaktorer som beiteforhold, mens en moderat invasjon av lungeorm ikke ble funnet å disponere for denne type pneumoni. Sammenheng mellom pneumoni og lav slaktevekt ble bare påvist i 1 besetning.

Mikrobiologiske undersøkelser ble foretatt for et utvalg av lunger. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae ble isolert fra såvel normale som pneumoniske lunger fra alle 4 besetninger, men i langt høyere frekvens i pneumoniske (98 %) enn i normale lunger (28 %). Bakterier, vesentlig Pasteurella haemolytica, ble også påvist i såvel pneumoniske (49 %) som i normale lunger (18 %) og i alle 4 besetninger. Resultatet bekrefter tidligere antagelser om M. ovipneumoniae som primsert etiologisk agens og bakterier som sekundaere patogener ved subakutt og kronisk pneumoni hos sau. Funn av M. ovipneumoniae i lunger uten pneumoniske lesjoner tyder på at Organismen er betinget patogen. Undersøkelser m.h.p. Mycoplasma arginini og virus var negative, og disse agens antas å ha mindre betydning ved ovin pneumoni under norske forhold.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Pathology, Veterinary College of Norway, P.O. Box 8146, Dep., Oslo 1, Oslo, Norway

    Trude Bakke & Svein Nøstvold

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  1. Trude Bakke
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  2. Svein Nøstvold
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This work was supported by grants from the Norwegian Agricultural Research Council.

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Bakke, T., Nøstvold, S. An Investigation of Ovine Pneumonia in Four Herds from Central Norway. Acta Vet Scand 23, 248–258 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546810

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147