Premium
MYCOPLASMA AETIOLOGY OF KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS (“PINK‐EYE”) IN DOMESTIC RUMINANTS
Author(s) -
Surman PG
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1973.56
Subject(s) - biology , mycoplasma , staining , keratoconjunctivitis , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , virology , medicine , genetics
Summary The stage of pink‐eye infection in 178 sheep was determined by clinical assessment and cytotological features. Mycoplasmas were isolated more frequently from the acute stage of the disease. Light and electron microscope studies of smears and sections from infected conjuntivae, and of concentrated mcoplasina suspensions, illustruted the structural similarity between the pink‐eye agent and mycoplasma isolates. This interrelationship was confirmed by specific immunofluorescent staining of the pink‐eye agent in sheep and goat conjunctival smears. Characterisation methods indicated that mycoplasmas isolated from the con‐Junctivae of sheep and goats with pink‐eye were similar. They were distinct from mycoplasmas of nasal and imssible nasal origin isolated from sheep with pink‐eye, and different from Mycoplasmal arginnini and humand mycoplasmas. The pink‐eye condition was reproduced in normal sheep anti goats by ocular inoculation of ccnjuctival mycoplasma isolates or conjunctival scarapings from diseased animals although experimental infection was not uniformly successful. The requirements necessary to demonstrate unequivocal mycoplasma aetiology of pink‐eye are discussed.