First detection of Mycoplasma wenyonii in France: Identification, evaluation of the clinical impact and development of a new specific detection assay

Laurent Nouvel (1) , Marie-Claude Hygonenq (1) , Guillaume Catays (1) , Enrico Martinelli (1) , Philippe Le Page (2) , Éric Collin (2) , Hisashi Inokuma (3) , François Schelcher (1) , Christine Citti (1) , Renaud Maillard (1)

1 IHAP - Interactions hôtes-agents pathogènes [Toulouse]
2 Veterinary Practice
3 Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

Mycoplasma wenyonii, a hemoplasma infecting cattle, was never detected in France. In 2014, evocative inclusions were observed in erythrocytes from cattle presenting milk drops, anemia, and edema in Brittany (France). A survey was then initiated to investigate the epidemiological situation and correlate mycoplasma detection with clinical signs. For this purpose, a new PCR assay targeting polC gene was designed. Comparative results with published PCR assays place this new one as more specific, allowing a one-step diagnosis without further sequencing. A total of 181 cows were included in this study and 4.97% (n=9) were positive, resulting in the first molecular identification of M. wenyonii in France. All positive animals presented anemia, edema and milk drop. When selecting animals presenting evocative clinical signs, the prevalence of M. wenyonii in Brittany was estimated to 25.6%. Further studies are needed to evaluate the importance of the infection, the implication of arthropods and the existence of asymptomatic carriers.

Mots clés: Mycoplasma wenyonii; Mycoplasma ovis; Hemoplasma; Cattle; Anemia; polC

Domaines: Immunologie

Laurent Nouvel, Marie-Claude Hygonenq, Guillaume Catays, Enrico Martinelli, Philippe Le Page, et al.. First detection of Mycoplasma wenyonii in France: Identification, evaluation of the clinical impact and development of a new specific detection assay. Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2019, 63, pp.148-153. ⟨10.1016/j.cimid.2019.01.010⟩. ⟨hal-03199899⟩