Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Diagnosis and Control

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a severe respiratory disease of goats caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). Characterised by high morbidity and mortality, the condition presents with acute respiratory distress, coughing, pleural effusion and fibrinous lung lesions. Diagnosis has evolved from time-consuming culture and isolation to rapid antigen and antibody detection. Field methods include the latex agglutination test (LAT) for whole blood or serum, and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for specific antibody detection. Molecular assays, notably polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting species-specific genes, offer greater specificity and sensitivity, enabling confirmation from pleural fluid or tissue samples. Ultrasonography has been applied to visualise pleural effusions, consolidations and fibrinous tags, improving prognostic accuracy. Control strategies combine targeted antibiotic therapy, strict biosecurity and movement restrictions. Antibiotic choice is guided by in vitro sensitivity, with macrolides and fluoroquinolones often employed. Vaccination remains the cornerstone of prevention; traditional inactivated vaccines confer seasonal protection, while novel candidates—based on capsular polysaccharides, recombinant proteins or sonicated antigens—are under evaluation. Integrated surveillance, serological monitoring and strain typing support outbreak containment and inform vaccine strain selection. Advances in metabolomic profiling of Mccp promise to reveal diagnostic biomarkers and metabolic vulnerabilities that may underpin next-generation control measures.

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Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Diagnosis and Control publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in contagious caprine pleuropneumonia diagnosis and control across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp): The bacterial subspecies responsible for CCPP, characterised by a small genome and fastidious growth requirements.

Competitive ELISA (cELISA): A serological assay in which sample antibodies compete with labelled antibodies for binding to antigen, used for specific antibody detection.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A molecular technique that amplifies target DNA sequences, enabling detection of low-abundance pathogens in clinical samples.

Metabonomics: The comprehensive analysis of small-molecule metabolites in biological systems, used to identify disease-related metabolic changes.

Latex agglutination test (LAT): A rapid field diagnostic method where latex beads coated with antigen agglutinate in the presence of specific antibodies in whole blood or serum.

References

1. Comparative untargeted and targeted metabonomics reveal discriminations in metabolite profiles between Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae and Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum. Frontiers in Microbiology (2023).
2. First report of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in Bangladeshi goats: Seroprevalence, risk factors and molecular detection from lung samples. Heliyon (2024).
3. Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia – a comprehensive review. Veterinary Quarterly (2019).
4. Immune and Oxidative Response against Sonicated Antigen of Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumonia—A Causative Agent of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia. Microorganisms (2022).
5. Novel Candidates for Vaccine Development Against Mycoplasma Capricolum Subspecies Capripneumoniae (Mccp)—Current Knowledge and Future Prospects. Vaccines (2019).
6. Ultrasonographic findings in goats with contagious caprine pleuropneumonia caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae. BMC Veterinary Research (2017).
7. Multi-locus sequence analysis of mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae for the molecular epidemiology of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia. Veterinary Research (2011).