Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mycoplasma felis as a cause of pleuritis in horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1983
- Authors:
- Ogilvie, T H et al.
Plain-English summary
In a study involving a horse with pleuritis (inflammation of the lining around the lungs), researchers found that the only germ present in the fluid from the horse's chest was Mycoplasma felis. The horse had a lot of white blood cells that were slightly damaged and showed signs of infection. After being treated at the hospital, the horse developed antibodies against the Mycoplasma and made a full recovery. To further investigate, a pony was injected with the same germ, while another pony was given just serum as a control. The pony that received the germ developed a fever, faster breathing, fluid in the chest, and pain, while the control pony stayed healthy. After 14 days, both ponies were euthanized for examination, which confirmed that the pony with the Mycoplasma had inflammation in its chest, while the control pony did not show any signs of illness.
Abstract
Mycoplasma felis was the only organism recovered from the thoracic cavity of a horse with pleuritis. Large numbers of mildly degenerative neutrophils were in the pleural fluid. The horse developed a serologic response to M felis and recovered during hospitalization. Experimentally, a pony was inoculated in the thoracic cavity with a pure culture of the M felis isolate suspended in the pony's serum. A control pony was inoculated with serum only. Within 48 hours, the principal pony developed fever, increased respiratory rate, pleural effusion, and signs of pain. A highly cellular exudate with nondegenerative neutrophils and large numbers of M felis was recovered from the thoracic cavity. The control pony remained normal. The principal pony developed an antibody response to M felis. The control pony did not. Fourteen days after inoculation, both ponies were euthanatized. Necropsy revealed pleural inflammation in the principal pony. Pleural lesions were not found in the control pony.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6874502/