CALF_News_June_July_2021

18 CALF News • June | July 2021 • www.calfnews.net CALF ANIMAL HEALTH Chuteside Manner EXPLORING THE FRONTIER OF ANIMAL HEALTH Mycoplasma A Bacteria with Many Faces By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor W hat do you envision when you hear the word Mycoplasma ? I am guessing that 99 percent of our readership see calves sick with pneumonia and the difficulties treating it. The misery of Mycoplasma pneumo- nia is caused by M. bovis , but few of us know that it is only one of 126 species of Mycoplasma bacteria. Each specie is responsible for bringing its’ own brand of trouble to a wide spectrum of animal life. What Is It? Mycoplasma are bacteria, members of the plant kingdom. According toWikipe- dia, it is the smallest living cell in nature and is anaerobic (requires no oxygen). The most insidious part of Myco- plasma , and what makes it so hard to deal with, is the fact it has no cell wall. This causes immediate problems; many effective antibiotics work by destroy- nodules that cause puckering and thick- ening of various tissues. Read on for some interesting examples. Tuberculosis In the late 1800s, tuberculosis (TB) was so rampant it was estimated to kill one out of every seven people in the U.S. and Europe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of the Mycoplasma that causes TB in 1882. The bacteria is estimated to have been around for 3 million years. Mummies excavated in Egypt were found to have succumbed to TB. The most recent U.S. data, collected in 2019, indicate there were 8,916 people infected in this country, down from the original count in 1953 of 84,304, when numbers were first made public. The CDC has a goal of eliminat- ing TB in the U.S. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual , tuberculosis is a reemerging infectious disease in animals and people caused by Mycobacterium (Including M. bovis and M. avium ). It is defined as a chronic, debilitating sickness that can turn acute and progress rapidly. It affects practically all species of vertebrates. TB is spread through droplets in the air, as well as via contaminated milk and water. Lesions in TB-infected lungs are sur- rounded by granulation tissue (scabs) and these fibrous capsules form the clas- sic “tubercle.” Nodules later may form in many organs, leading to death. There are many reservoirs for TB, including cattle and a large number of LEFT: Nearly every species of wildlife can be considered a reservoir for Mycoplasma bacteria. M. bovis is the causative agent for Mycoplasma pneumonia in cattle. ing the cell wall of invading bacteria. Mycoplasma has, instead, a waxy coat- ing, nearly impervious to treatment. It burrows deeply into tissue, making effective antibiotic administration more difficult than any other microorganism. It responds only to fluoroquinolones, drugs that block replication of DNA and RNA. There are comparatively few on the market. Research on the survivability of Mycoplasma bacteria in the environment varies from slightly more than one year to several years. It likes damp soils, water and is best killed by direct sunlight and dehydration. Any Mycoplasma vaccination is consid- ered more harmful than good, causing, in itself, granulations, swelling and false positives. It may even make subsequent infections upon exposure of the bacteria more severe. Infections of this agent cause granular lesions, meaning scabs, sores or