Robin A J Nicholas

• MIBiol MSc PhD FRCPath
• Consultant at Consultant

This study investigated the presence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and contagious caprine pneumonia (CCPP) in ruminants to confirm and identify the mycoplasma species present. A comprehensive approach was employed, involving serological and molecular assays. A total of 342 cattle and 319 goats were tested, with 42 cattle and 23 goats...

CBPP is a highly contagious and economically significant respiratory disease of cattle. A systematic search of databases from 1987 to 2024 was conducted. This review assesses the history of CBPP in Africa. CBPP is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides. The disease’s spread across the African continent has been facilitated by factors such as...

Mycoplasma bovis infections in cattle constitute a worldwide problem with significant detrimental economic impacts on cattle industry. Mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis media and genital disorders are its clinical manifestations. Presently, no vaccines are commercially available; antimicrobial resistance is increasing; di...

A study was conducted to examine cattle going through abattoirs in Sudan for evidence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), an important cattle disease of sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately 0.6% of cattle showed lesions resembling CBPP but the causative pathogen, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, could only be isolated from a small number...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) inflicts significant losses in cattle farming worldwide and is caused by the co-occurrence of various infectious agents which is often compounded by environmental factors. It is well known that microorganisms of the Mollicutes class are responsible for respiratory disorders in cattle, including BRD. This review high...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) inflicts significant losses in cattle farming worldwide and is caused by the co-occurrence of various infectious agents which is often compounded by envi-ronmental factors. It is well known that microorganisms of the Mollicutes class are responsible for respiratory disorders in cattle, including BRD. This review hig...

Overview Clinical renal disease is relatively rare in small ruminants especially in the goat. However, the exquisitely efficient renal vascular circulation can transport both pathogenic agents and toxic substances directly to the kidney tissues. Damage to the kidney, though often a secondary target, can have serious sometimes fatal effects on the h...

The transatlantic story of CBPP illustrates a number of themes that veterinary practitioners and historians alike ought to note. First, the story is one of scientific discovery. From CBPP’s first appearance in Europe in the 18th century to identification of its aetiological agent in 1898, veterinary practitioners successfully and unsuccessfully gra...

Simple Summary Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) is a major porcine pathogen worldwide. Understanding its interaction with the pig immune system is crucial for effective disease control. This study evaluates the use of minimal tissue samples from different lung compartments to analyze this interaction in detail, in addition to the microscopic and mac...

To obtain improved insights into the complex microbial aetiology of bovine mastitis, this study investigated the pathogens involved in cattle mastitis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 179 milk samples from cows with clinical mastitis (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SCM), as well as eight bulk tank milk (BTM) samples from 48 dairy farms, were an...

Protest against increase in plane traffic in Farnborough

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), one of the great historical plagues of cattle, remains a major problem in sub-Saharan Africa affecting over 20 countries. While attempts to control the disease over the last two decades have been inadequate, the COVID-19 pandemic further hampered these efforts with few countries now carrying out surveillanc...

Simple Summary With the eradication of rinderpest in 1995, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), the other great historical plague of cattle, has become arguably the most important bovine disease in sub-Saharan Africa affecting cattle in over 25 countries. CBPP, caused by the small bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, is a contagious...

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, a well-established respiratory pathogen of sheep and goats, has gained increased importance recently because of its detection in wild ruminants including members of the Cervidae family. Despite its frequent isolation from apparently healthy animals, it is responsible for outbreaks of severe respiratory disease which are of...

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) are insidious diseases that affect cattle and goats respectively and are caused by highly infectious bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma-Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) and Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) respectively. These contagious...

Mycoplasmas cause some of the most economically important diseases of sheep and goats, including diseases listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) such as contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) and contagious agalactia (CA). Other important mycoplasma diseases include chronic respiratory and arthritic syndrome (CRAS) and atypical...

Simple Summary For over thirty years, contagious agalactia has been recognized as a mycoplasma disease affecting small ruminants caused by four different pathogens: Mycoplasma agalactiae, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum and Mycoplasma putrefaciens which were previously thought to produce clinically similar...

Abstract: Two of the most important diseases of cattle are caused by mycoplasmas. Mycoplasma bovis is a world-wide bovine pathogen that can cause pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis. It has now spread to most, if not all, cattle-rearing countries. Due to its increasing resistance to antimicrobial therapy, vaccination is the principal focus of the con...

During 2002-2003 the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum was studied among 104 small ruminant's flocks (18 sheep, 27 goat and 59 mixed flocks) in northern Jordan. At least 5 serum samples/flock were tested using iELISA test. The true flock-level seroprevalences of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum were 56%, 39%, 28% in s...

Mycoplasma bovis is a cause of bronchopneumonia, mastitis and arthritis but may also affect other main organs in cattle such us the eye, ear or brain. Despite its non-zoonotic character, M. bovis infections are responsible for substantial economic health and welfare problems worldwide. M. bovis has spread worldwide, including to countries for a lon...

Mycoplasma dispar is an overlooked pathogen often involved in bovine respiratory disease (BRD), which affects cattle around the world. BRD results in lost production and high treatment and prevention costs. Additionally, chronic therapies with multiple antimicrobials may lead to antimicrobial resistance. Data on antimicrobial susceptibility to M. d...

Italian beef production is mainly based on a feedlot system where calves are housed with mixed aged cattle often in conditions favourable to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). In Veneto, an indoor system is also used for imported bulls around 300-350 kg. Mycoplasmas, in particular Mycoplasma bovis and Mycoplasma dispar, contribute to BRD in young ca...

Simple Summary This article explains the future application of the EU regulation Animal Health Law (Reg. CE 429/2016), which will be implemented in 2021. The article describes the major changes and modifications related to notifiable diseases of sheep and goats and outlines the approach that will be taken for their surveillance and control. It expl...

Simple Summary Contagious agalactia (CA) is an infectious disease of small ruminants endemic in the Mediterranean countries, causing significant socioeconomic impacts predominantly on small-scale farmers who still subsist on marginal lands. Mycoplasma agalactiae is historically considered the principal etiological agent of CA, especially in sheep....

The economic costs of contagious agalactia (CA) to the small ruminant dairy industry are not well known but include losses due to mortality, lowered milk production, spoiled products, abortions and animal welfare problems, as well as diagnosis and treatment. This paper reports financial estimates made in southern Europe, including a study on small-...

The economic costs of contagious agalactia (CA) to the small ruminant dairy industry are not well known but include losses due to mortality, lowered milk production, spoiled products, abortions and animal welfare problems, as well as diagnosis and treatment. This paper reports financial estimates made in Southern Europe, including a study on small-...

Three autogenous vaccine trials were carried out on farms where Mycoplasma bovis had been identified as a major pathogen. The first trial was carried on a veal farm in the Lombardia region of northern Italy. Vaccine, prepared by saponising an M. bovis strain taken from the farm some months before, was given as single inoculation to 24 calves on arr...

Mycoplasma diseases of livestock such as contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia and contagious agalactia still represent major problems for animal health authorities worldwide. Many significant improvements have been seen as a result of research into these degenerate bacteria, mainly in the area of diagnosis, with the...

Three autogenous vaccine trials were carried out on farms where Mycoplasma bovis had been identified as a major pathogen. The first trial was carried on a veal farm in the Lombardia region of northern Italy. Vaccine, prepared by saponising an M bovis strain taken from the farm some months before, was given as single inoculation to 24 calves on arri...

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of two Mycoplasma agalactiae vaccines, a live attenuated vaccine (strain AIK) which has been used in the field for over 50 years in Turkey, and an experimental vaccine which was inactivated and adjuvanted with saponin containing the same strain of Mycoplasma agalactiae. A total of 30 Angora goats were assigne...

Mycoplasma bovis, a serious cause of bovine respiratory disease often associated with other bacteria and viruses, is prevalent worldwide including Turkey. It is difficult to control because antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective and commercial vaccines are not available. The aims of this study were to detect infective agents causing resp...

Contagious agalactia (CA), a disease caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae and other pathogenic mycoplasmas, is a well-known multietiological syndrome affecting dairy breeds of sheep and goats in the Mediterranean basin. The aim of this work was to study the effect on milk production and composition of mastitis caused by M. agalactiae in Valle del Belice...

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of two Mycoplasma agalactiae vaccines, a live attenuated vaccine (strain AIK) which has been used in the field for over 50 years in Turkey, and an experimental vaccine which was inactivated and adjuvanted with saponin containing the same strain of Mycoplasma agalactiae. A total of 30 Angora goats were assigne...

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) was detected for the first time on the European continent in the Thrace region of Turkey in 2002 following outbreaks of an unusually severe respiratory disease in goats. Mycoplasma capricolums ubspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp), the causative agent, was identified in many infected herds throughout the region...

Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, the cause of the World Organisation of Animal Health-listed contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, is a member of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster which comprises five pathogenic mycoplasmas of ruminants. These mycoplasmas are closely related immunologically and genetically which can lead to difficulties fo...

A flock of sheep in Central Sicily were affected by a severe outbreak of contagious agalactia (CA), caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae, affecting nearly 30% resulting in a large drop in milk production. Many ewes had warm and swollen udders which often became sclerotic and was accompanied by kerato-conjunctivitis and arthritis in both adults and young...

Estimating the economic impact of CA is a complex issue, probably because it is connected with traditional husbandry typical of Mediterranean areas; invariably, however, CA has a strong impact on the local economy because of its high morbidity rate which is why it is often known as “the shepherd’s nightmare." Moreover, due to the indirect effect on...

Background: Contagious bovine bronchopneumonia disease (CBPP) of cattle is a highly contagious disease caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp mycoides (Mmm) that can lead to high rate of mortality. Similarly, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a severe disease of small ruminants caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp capripneumoniae (Mccp). O...

Background. Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is considered an important poultry pathogen causing severe economic losses in all types of commercial operation. Lesions such as “Egg Shell Apex Abnormalities,” particularly in layer hens, have recently attracted major attention, but decreases in egg production and egg weight and an amyloid arthropathy in associ...

Background: Contagious agalactia (CA), a disease of dairy sheep and goats mainly caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae is known to have been present in Europe for 200 years. It was first described in Italy in the early 19th century. While it can manifest as a mild disease in affected countries CA has proven difficult to eradicate as it persists on farms...

Background: Mycoplasma agalactiae is the major pathogen cause of contagious agalactia (CA), disease affecting small ruminant dairy industry in Mediterranean areas, where it has a high economic impact; CA is a priority in this sector because of costly production losses such as low milk yields, weak lambs, poor fertility as well as the indirect costs...

Background information on the characteristics of Mycoplasma bovis that make it a difficult to diagnose and control for an article in Progressive Dairyman on the recent outbreaks in New Zealand

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) was detected for the first time on the European continent in the Thrace region of Turkey in 2002 following outbreaks of an unusually severe respiratory disease in goats. Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp), the causative agent, was identified in many infected herds by serological, bacteriolo...

There is a worldwide problem of disease caused by Mycoplasma (M.) bovis in cattle; it has a significant detrimental economic and animal welfare impact on cattle rearing. Infection can manifest as a plethora of clinical signs including: mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis media and genital disorders that may result in infert...

A mycoplasma isolated from the liver of a dead Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) and designated strain 56A97T, was investigated to determine its taxonomic status. Complete 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the organism was most closely related to Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma imitans(99.7 and 99.9 % similarity, respecti...

Mycoplasma hyosynoviae is a swine pathogen causing arthritic diseases and severe economic losses. We report an outbreak of severe lameness in a pig farm in northern Italy in which approximately 35% of the growing herd showed clinical signs. Lameness was not associated with fever, change in appetite or stiffness in the limbs but was mostly related t...

Mycoplasmas of humans and animals are usually associated with respiratory, autoimmune, genital and joint diseases. Human mycoplasmas have also been known to affect the brain. Severe central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as encephalitis, have been linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and ureaplasma infections. Less well known is the sheep and goat...

Despite being eradicated from Europe and probably the rest of the world, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) continues to plague sub-Saharan Africa affecting at least 25 countries, in particular Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola, Nigeria and Zambia. Evidence has shown that the causative agent, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, may...

Background: Little is known about the occurrence of important diseases of ruminants in Afghanistan because of the conflict affecting the country over the last 40 years. To address this discrepancy, ruminant herds in Afghanistan were screened for OIE-listed mycoplasma diseases, contagious bovine (CBPP) and caprine pleuropneumonias (CCPP). Results:...

Unlike mollicutes found in humans such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Ureaplasma species, those of animals are not usually associated with diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Animal mycoplasmas are usually causes of respiratory and joint disease. However Mycoplasma agalactiae, the main cause of the OIE-listed contagious agalactia in small r...

A total of 2079 sera were tested between 2010 and 2011 for antibodies to Mycoplasma bovis by BIO K162 ELISA kit. At the recommended cut-off “≥+”, animal seroprevalence was 89% for local cows, 94% for local beef calves and 68%, 74% and 94% for calves imported from Lithuania, Hungary and Australia, respectively, with herd/shipment-prevalence of 100%...

Important diseases like contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonia, avian mycoplasmosis, atypical pneumonia and contagious agalactia are caused by small degenerate wall-less organisms called mycoplasmas which evolved from gram positive bacteria about 2.5 billion years ago. The smallest of them are close to the theoretical limit for free-living e...

Respiratory disease and otitis was seen on a northern Italian farm in weaned bulls obtained from multiple sources. Mycoplasma bovis was consistently identified in nasal swabs, tonsil, ears, eyes and lung samples from affected animals. Unusually the closely related M agalactiae, the main cause of contagious agalactia (CA) in small ruminants, was als...

Respiratory disease and otitis were seen on a northern Italian farm in weaned bulls obtained from multiple sources. Mycoplasma bovis was consistently identified in nasal swabs, tonsil, ears, eyes and lung samples from affected animals. Unusually the closely related Mycoplasma agalactiae, the main cause of contagious agalactia (CA) in small ruminant...

Important diseases like contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonia, avian mycoplasmosis and contagious agalactia are caused by small degenerate wall-less organisms called mycoplasmas which evolved from gram positive bacteria about 2.5 billion years ago. The smallest of them are close to the theoretical limit for free-living existence containing...

Mastitis caused by mycoplasmas, in particular Mycoplasma bovis, is a major problem for milk production and animal welfare in the large dairy herds in the USA and a serious though sporadic disease in Europe and Middle East. It is probably the most severe of the infectious diseases affecting the udder and is largely untreatable by chemotherapy. It ha...

M bovis is one of the major causes of bovine respiratory disease both on its own and in association with other important bacteria and viruses. It is also a primary cause of mastitis which, though infrequent in the UK, is often untreatable when it occurs and should be suspected when response to treatment is poor. There is often little that can be do...

Historically, environmental persistence has not been considered a major risk factor for mycoplasma infections. However, recent studies have shown that not only can these infections persist under adverse conditions for longer than previously thought but that they may be more virulent in this state, perhaps requiring fewer organisms to initiate infec...

Vaccines against mycoplasma diseases like contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and contagious agalactia have been used for many years though they are rarely completely effective. In the early 1970s attempts were made to develop a vaccine for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) caused by pathogens including Mycoplasma bovis and M dispar. Early trials were...

Mastitis caused by mycoplasmas, though less common, is probably the most severe of the infectious diseases causing inflammation of the bovine udder. Mycoplasma mastitis can usually be differentiated from those caused by Staphlococcus and Streptococcus spp by: its high contagiousness; it can affect more than one quarter; it can result in significant...

The role of wild birds in the transmission and spread of mycoplasmas is not clear. Up to now different Mycoplasma species have been isolated from wild birds many of which are not considered pathogens sensu stricto for domestic flocks. This report describes the first isolation of Mycoplasma synoviae in a captive lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)...

First recognized in Italy over 200 years ago, contagious agalactia is primarily a disease of dairy sheep and goats and is characterized by an interstitial mastitis leading to a loss of milk production, arthritis and keratoconjunctivitis. It is more often seen on farms practicing traditional husbandry. Contagious agalactia is principally caused by t...

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae has long been associated with respiratory disease in young sheep and goats. Here, the authors present evidence that it may be a cause of a coughing syndrome and ill thrift in young and, unusually, older Swaledale ewes on a hill farm in northern England. M. ovipneumoniae was detected in nasal swabs of a majority of affected...

Presentation describes the re-emergence of the OIE listed disease contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Europe in the 1980s charting its history and spread around the world in the 19th Century. It focuses on the pathogenicity mechanisms of the causative mycoplasma and discusses how the emergent strain, with a huge deletion in the genome, could appea...

Interest in mycoplasmas stems from their importance as serious animal and human pathogens, their frequent contamination of cell lines and, because of their small size, for their use as models of the minimal cell concept. They have traditionally been seen as highly host specific but this is being reviewed in view of recent detections of animal mycop...

Mycoplasma bovis is an emerging cause of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), particularly in intensive feedlots where disease is mainly spread by aerosol route over close distances. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of mycoplasmas in the environment of barns housing white veal calves presenting BRD. The majority of calves seroconv...

Objectives Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri is one of the causative agents of contagious agalactia in goats. The disease is characterised by mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis, keratitis and in acute cases septicaemia. No vaccine is currently available that has been demonstrated to prevent disease.Methods This study used two-dimensional electrophor...

Mycoplasma bovis is a major bovine pathogen associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex and responsible for substantial economic losses worldwide. M. bovis is also associated with other clinical presentations in cattle including mastitis, otitis, arthritis and reproductive disorders. To gain a better understanding of the genetic divers...

Mycoplasma bovis isolates with decreased susceptibilities to tetracyclines are increasingly reported worldwide. The acquired molecular mechanisms associated with this phenomenon were investigated in 70 clinical isolates of M. bovis. Sequence analysis of the two 16S rRNA-encoding genes (rrs3 and rrs4 alleles) containing the primary binding pocket fo...

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