DETECÇÃO MOLECULAR E POR MICROSCOPIA DIRETA DE MYCOPLASMA SPP. EM CAPRINOS NO ESTADO DA PARAÍBA

Abstract

Hemoplasmas are small and pleomorphic bacteria, which cause acute hemolytic anemia and chronic diseases in domestic and wild species worldwide. They are gram-negative bacteria and erythrocytic parasites. In small ruminants the hemoplasmosis is characterized by weight loss, severe anemia and even mortality. In order to study the infection caused by hemotropic mycoplasma in goats in the state of Paraiba, blood smears from the ear tip were performed and blood samples were collected from 402 goats distributed in eight farms from the state of Paraiba. For molecular detection of hemoplasma, the specific region 16S rRNA gene was amplified. Hemoplasma infection was detected in 158 (39.30%) animals by PCR, while by direct microscopy no detection was observed. From 8 farms studied, 5 showed association with positivity for hemoplasmas. From 402 animals, 118 (29.3%) were anemic and significant difference was observed between the PCV (packed cell value) average of positive and negative animals (p <0.05). There was significant association between adult animals, male and mixed race with hemoplasma positivity. There was no significant association between the agent detection and ticks (p> 0.05). Although most studies indicate a higher prevalence in sheep than in goats, this study showed a high prevalence in goats. Goats have lower bacteremia compared to sheep, in some cases no detectable bacteremia, and that bacteremia may decrease in the peripheral blood in cases of long-term infections. The high prevalence indicates that hemotropic mycoplasmas are an important differential diagnosis of diseases transmitted by arthropods to small ruminants. It stands out that there may be a high contraction risk of this agent by humans, thus considered a public health problem.