Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma bovis in grazing dairy cows from five different areas in Serbia

Abstract

Mycoplasma bovis infection in grazing dairy cows has not been reported in the Republic of Serbia to date. It is important to monitor its seroprevalence on the field. The presence of specific antibodies against M. bovis in the blood serum of grazing dairy cows is investigated in the present study. A total of 131 blood serum samples of clinically healthy dairy cows were examined. Sampling was performed during 2013 from five different areas in Serbia: Zasavica, Pozarevac, Gruza, Novi Sad and Banatski Karlovac. A commercial ELISA kit for diagnosis of M. bovis antibodies in blood serum samples, manufactured by Bio-X Diagnostics, Belgium, was used. Specific antibodies against M. bovis were identified in 13 out of 131 samples (9.92%) from 4 locations; the only negative location was the most southern Gruza. The revealed seroprevalence is evidence for the presence of M. bovis in grazing dairy cows in different locations of Serbia. Figure 1: Location of the 5 different areas of Serbia where grazing cows were sampled for Mycoplasma bovis serology: 1 -Zasavica, 2 -Pozarevac, 3 -Gruza, 4 -Novi Sad and 5 -Banatski Karlovac (MapCustomizer, https://www.mapcustomizer.com/). CONCLUSIONSSpecific antibodies against M. bovis were identified in 9.92% of the grazing cows from 4 areas; the only negative was the most southern region, Gruza. The revealed seroprevalence is the first evidence for the presence of M. bovis in grazing dairy cows in different locations of Serbia.

Presence of Mycoplasma bovis in Bulk Tank Milk and Associated Risk Factor Analysis in Serbian Dairy Farms

“…The survey was conducted on 115 dairy farms randomly selected throughout Serbia in 2022. The total number of dairy cow farms to be sampled (115) was determined with a 10% expected prevalence according to the results of Vojinović et al [ 22 ], 5% absolute precision, and 95% confidence interval (CI) in reference to the total number of these farms in Serbia based on the data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia [ 23 ]. The farms were categorised as small-, medium-, or large-scale farms according to the number of dairy cows (<20, 20–200, or >201, respectively).…”

“…With no efficient vaccine and medical treatment, M. bovis infection can be controlled using different approaches, such as ‘test and slaughter’ or ‘test and segregate’ [ 7 ]. In Serbia, few seroprevalence surveys have been conducted across different categories of cattle [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of M. bovis in BTM samples in Serbia and route of shedding and assess the risk for M. bovis infection.…”

Epidemiological Survey of Mycoplasma bovis in Yaks on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, China

“…In 1961, Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) was isolated in America and first described as a cause of respiratory disease in 1976 [4]. Due to M. bovis, infection resulted in high economic losses every year due to pneumonia, mastitis, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis, reproductive tract inflammation, abortion, and infertility [5]. In 2008, M. bovis was first isolated from the lungs of taurine cattle (Bos taurus) with pneumonia in China.…”

“…Due to M . bovis , infection resulted in high economic losses every year due to pneumonia, mastitis, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis, reproductive tract inflammation, abortion, and infertility [ 5 ]. In 2008, M .…”