Lung Plague: Description, Cause and Control

Abstract

Translate Article

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), variously known in English as lung plague, lung fever and pleuro-pneumonia, is one of the great historic plagues of cattle along with Foot and Mouth Disease, tuberculosis and rinderpest. The causative agent of CBPP is the wall-less degenerate bacterium called Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides (previously known as mycoides small colony (SC)) and was the first mycoplasma to be isolated late in the 19th century. The pathogen attacks the lungs and pleural membranes that line the thoracic cavity, causing fever and respiratory distress such as laboured breathing, coughing and nasal discharge. Its main pathological features are the presence of serofibrinous deposits, interstitial pneumonia, interlobular oedema and hepatization giving a marbled appearance of the lung in the acute and subacute phase and capsulated lesions called sequestra in the lungs of chronically affected cattle. Because it is highly contagious with a mortality rate of up to 50% in naïve herds, it causes significant economic losses, particularly to poorer farmers. CBPP is now considered the most important cattle disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The last reported occurrence of CBPP in Europe was in Portugal in 1999 but unconfirmed reports indicate it may still be present in parts of Asia.