First report of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in Bangladeshi goats: Seroprevalence, risk factors and molecular detection from lung samples.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious mycoplasmal respiratory disease primarily affecting goats and sheep caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). So far, there is no available information on either the serological or molecular identification of Mccp in Bangladesh. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of CCPP and associated risk factors in goats of Bangladesh, as well as molecular identification of the causative agent (Mccp) in this country. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2022 to June 2023, 402 goat serum samples were randomly collected to determine seroprevalence, and 90 clinically suspected lung samples were collected for molecular confirmation of CCPP. Risk factors were evaluated by interviewing goat owners using a predesigned questionnaire. A commercially available cELISA kit was used to screen blood serum for anti-CCPP antibodies and PCR for Mccp detection. The 16S rRNA gene specific to Mycoplasma mycoides cluster (Mmc), and the Mccp-specific gene of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) were amplified through PCR. Potential risk factors were identified through a univariate logistic regression followed by a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: Out of 402 samples, 29 were tested positive for CCPP, indicating an overall seroprevalence of 7.21 % (95 % CI: 1.90-12.53). The PCR result showed that 26.67 % of the samples were positive for CCPP. The associated risk factors for the disease were animal age (>18 months; OR: 2.14, 95 % CI: 0.92-4.98), sex (Female; OR: 5.80, 95 % CI: 1.70-19.69), flock size (Large; OR: 6.28, 95 % CI: 1.17-35.74), and body condition scores (Poor; OR: 5.58, 95 % CI: 1.36-22.92). CONCLUSION: This study confirms the existence of CCPP in Bangladeshi goats for the first time using both serological and molecular methods (PCR).