Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capripneumoniae
(Leach et al., 1993)
Etymology
Gr. n. mukes – fungus, Gr. neut. n. plasma – anything formed, N.L. neut. n. Mycoplasma – fungus form; L. n. caper – a male goat, N.L. suff. -colum – dwelling, N.L. neut. adj. capricolum – dwelling in a male goat, L. n. capra – a goat, Gr. n. pneumonia – pneumonia, N.L. gen. n. capripneumoniae – of pneumonia of a goat
Taxonomy
Mycoplasmatales – Mycoplasmataceae – Mycoplasma – Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capripneumoniae (Mycoides cluster), closely related to Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capricolum, Mycoplasma mycoides, and Mycoplasma leachii (16S rRNA gene sequence similarities – 99.59, 99.31 and 99.52%, respectively) (Fig. 1)
Type strain
F38T (goat, Kenya, 1976), (Fig. 2, 16S rRNA gene sequence)
Genomes
25 completed (F38T, JF6037 (mutant), JF6034 (mutant), JF6042 (mutant), Yatta/B – all Kenya; M1601, 87001, 2 x zly1309F – all China; 9231-Abomsa, 2/90, Erer – all Ethiopia; ILRI181 – origin undefined; 04012 – Qatar; C5, 8991 – both Oman; AMRC-C758, 05021 – both Sudan; 033C1 – Turkey; 14020, Bagamoyo – both Tanzania; 438LP – Chad; 95043 – Niger; 12002 – Tajikistan; C550/1 – United Arab Emirates); 1 draft genome (NCBI Genome deposit per 11/05/2024)
Cell morphology
spherical – coccoid
Colony morphology
small colonies with variable fried egg morphology (Fig. 3)
Metabolism
some strains only oxidize organic acids (pyruvate), others ferment in addition glucose; assimilation of glycerol; non-arginine-hydrolyzing, non-urea-hydrolyzing
Host
mainly goat, occasionally causing disease in sheep (following close contact to infected goats) and in wild ungulates (captive or free-living wild goats, ibex, mouflon, gerenuk, gazelles, and deer)
Habitat
respiratory tract
Disease(s)
Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP), pneumonia (hepatization) with pleurisy (adhesion, accumulation of pleural fluid)
Pathogenicity
pathogenicity factors largely elusive, known are capsular polysaccharides contributing to adhesion and enhancing resistance to phagocytosis, and production of hydrogen peroxide as a by-product of glycerol assimilation
Epidemiology
Africa excluding southern Africa, Asia (Near and Middle East, India, Nepal), and Turkey; horizontal transmission by aerosol, milk, semen; vertical transmission from dam to fetus/neonate; commonly introduced into herds by apparently healthy carrier animals; climatic changes, overcrowding, commingling and translocation may trigger infection
Diagnosis
PCR; cultivation (some strains highly fastidious) and species identification by MALDI-ToF MS, serology or genetically; detection of antibodies using immunoassays
Fig. 1. Maximum likelihood tree showing the phylogenetic position of Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capripneumoniae F38T within the Mycoides cluster of Mycoplasmataceae based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The sequence of Mycoplasma synoviae WVU 1853T was used as out-group (Synoviae cluster). Numbers at nodes represent bootstrap confidence values (1000 replications). Only values > 80% are shown. Bar, number of substitutions per nucleotide position. Credits: Joachim Spergser (Vetmeduni Vienna)
CTGGCGGCATGCCTAATACATGCAAGTCGAACGGGGGTGCTTGCACCTCAGTGGCGAACGGGTGAGTAACACGTATCTAACCTACCTTATAGCGGGGGATAACTTTTGGAAACGAAAGATAATACCGCATGTAGATCTTATTATCACATGAGAAAAGATCAAAAGAACCGTTTGGTTCACTATGAGATGGGGATGCGGCGTATTAGCTAGTAGGTGAGATAATAGCCCACCTAGGCGATGATACGTAGCCGAACTGAGAGGTTGATCGGCCACATTGGGACTGAGATACGGCCCAGACTCCTACGGGAGGCAGCAGTAGGGAATTTTTCACAATGGACGAAAGTCTGATGAAGCAATGCCGCGTGAGTGCTGACGGCCTTCGGGTTGTAAAGCTCTGTTGTAAGGGAAGAAAAAATAGAGTAGGAAATGACTTTATCTTGACAGTACCTTACCAGAAAGCCACGGCTAACTATGTGCCAGCAGCCGCGGTAATACATAGGTGGCAAGCGTTATCCGGATTTATTGGGCGTATAGGGTGCGTAGGCGGTTTTGCAAGTTTGAGGTTAAAGTCCGGAGCTCAACTCCGGTTCGCCTTGAAAACTGTTTTACTAGAATGCAAGAGAGGTAAGCGGAATTCCATGTGTAGCGGTGAAATGCGTAGATATATGGAAGAACACCTGTGGCGAAAGCGGCTTACTGGCTTGTTATTGACGCTGAGGCACGAAAGCGTGGGGAGCAAATAGGATTAGATACCCTAGTAGTCCACGCCGTAAACGATGAGTACTAAGTGTTGGGGTAACTCAGCGCTGCAGCTAACGCATTAAGTACTCCGCCTGAGTAGTATGCTCGCAAGAGTGAAACTCAAAGGAATTGACGGGGACCCGCACAAGTGGTGGAGCATGTGGTTTAATTCGAAGCAACACGAAGAACCTTACCAGGGCTTGACATCCAGTGCAAAGCTATAGAGATATAGTAGAGGTTAACATTGAGACAGGTGGTGCATGGTTGTCGTCAGTTCGTGCCGTAAGGTGTTGGGTTAAGTCCCGCAACGAACGCAACCCTTGTCGTTAGTTACTAACATTAAGTTGAGAACTCTAACGAGACTGCTAGTGTAAGTTAGAGGAAGGTGGGGATGACGTCAAATCATCATGCCCCTTATGTCCTGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGCTGGTACAAAGAGTTGCAATCCTGTGAAGGGGAGCTAATCTCAAAAAACCAGTCTCAGTTCGGATTGAAGTCTGCAACTCGACTTCATGAAGCCGGAATCACTAGTAATCGCGAATCAGCTATGTCGCGGTGAATACGTTCTCGGGTCTTGTACACACCGCCCGTCACACCATGAGAGTTTGTAATACCAGAAGTAGGTAGCTTAACCATTTGGAGAGCGCTTCCCAAGGTAGGACTAGCGATTGGGGTGAAGTCGTAACAAGGT
Fig. 2. 16S rRNA gene sequence of Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capripneumoniae PG2T (Accession number: NR_118795)
Fig. 3. Mycoplasma capricolum ssp. capripneumoniae F38T on modified Hayflick’s agar supplemented with sodium pyruvate after 7 days of incubation exhibiting small and dense colonies without fried egg morphology. Bar, 1 mm. Credits: Joachim Spergser (Vetmeduni Vienna)