Causes of Pneumonia Epizootics among Bighorn Sheep, Western United States, 2008–2010

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Abstract

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a primary pathogen.

Abstract

Epizootic pneumonia of bighorn sheep is a devastating disease of uncertain etiology. To help clarify the etiology, we used culture and culture-independent methods to compare the prevalence of the bacterial respiratory pathogens Mannheimia haemolytica, Bibersteinia trehalosi, Pasteurella multocida, and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in lung tissue from 44 bighorn sheep from herds affected by 8 outbreaks in the western United States. M. ovipneumoniae, the only agent detected at significantly higher prevalence in animals from outbreaks (95%) than in animals from unaffected healthy populations (0%), was the most consistently detected agent and the only agent that exhibited single strain types within each outbreak. The other respiratory pathogens were frequently but inconsistently detected, as were several obligate anaerobic bacterial species, all of which might represent secondary or opportunistic infections that could contribute to disease severity. These data provide evidence that M. ovipneumoniae plays a primary role in the etiology of epizootic pneumonia of bighorn sheep.

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Sequence-based identification of microbial pathogens: a reconsideration of Koch's postulates.

David Relman, David Fredricks (1995)

Over 100 years ago, Robert Koch introduced his ideas about how to prove a causal relationship between a microorganism and a disease. Koch's postulates created a scientific standard for causal evidence that established the credibility of microbes as pathogens and led to the development of modern microbiology. In more recent times, Koch's postulates have evolved to accommodate a broader understanding of the host-parasite relationship as well as experimental advances. Techniques such as in situ hybridization, PCR, and representational difference analysis reveal previously uncharacterized, fastidious or uncultivated, microbial pathogens that resist the application of Koch's original postulates, but they also provide new approaches for proving disease causation. In particular, the increasing reliance on sequence-based methods for microbial identification requires a reassessment of the original postulates and the rationale that guided Koch and later revisionists. Recent investigations of Whipple's disease, human ehrlichiosis, hepatitis C, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and Kaposi's sarcoma illustrate some of these issues. A set of molecular guidelines for establishing disease causation with sequence-based technology is proposed, and the importance of the scientific concordance of evidence in supporting causal associations is emphasized.

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Development of PCR assays for species- and type-specific identification of Pasteurella multocida isolates.

Chong-Kil Lee, J. Frost, Julie S. Townsend … (1998)

Genomic subtractive hybridization of closely related Pasteurella multocida isolates has generated clones useful in distinguishing hemorrhagic septicemia-causing type B strains from other P. multocida serotypes. Oligonucleotide primers designed during the sequencing of these clones have proved valuable in the development of PCR assays for rapid species- and type-specific detection of P. multocida and of type B:2 in particular. This study demonstrated that the primer pair designed from the sequence of the clone 6b (KTT72 and KTSP61) specifically amplified a DNA fragment from types B:2, B:5, and B:2,5 P. multocida and that the primers KMT1T7 and KMT1SP6 produced an amplification product unique to all P. multocida isolates analyzed. It was also shown that PCR amplification performed directly on bacterial colonies or cultures represents an extremely rapid, sensitive method of P. multocida identification.

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Detection and identification of microorganisms by gene amplification and sequencing.

Cathy Petti (2007)

Gene amplification and sequencing have led to the discovery of new pathogens as agents of disease and have enabled us to better classify microorganisms from culture. Sequence-based identification of bacteria and fungi using culture is more objective and accurate than conventional methods, especially for classifying unusual microorganisms that are emerging pathogens in immunocompromised hosts. Although a powerful tool, the interpretation of sequence-based classification can be challenging as microbial taxonomy grows more complex, without known clinical correlatives. Additionally, broad-range gene polymerase chain reaction and sequencing have emerged as alternative, culture-independent methods for detecting pathogens from clinical material. The promise of this technique has remained strong, limited mainly by contamination and inadequate sensitivity issues. This review explains sequence-based microbial classification, with emphasis on relating the complex world of microbial taxonomy to a clinical context. Additionally, this review discusses a rational approach to broad-range bacterial polymerase chain reaction and gene sequencing when applied directly to clinical samples.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Emerg Infect Dis

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Emerging Infect. Dis

Journal ID (publisher-id): EID

Title: Emerging Infectious Diseases

Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

ISSN (Print): 1080-6040

ISSN (Electronic): 1080-6059

Publication date (Print): March 2012

Volume: 18

Issue: 3

Pages: 406-414

Affiliations

[1]Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA (T.E. Besser, M.A. Highland, K. Baker);

[2]Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Pullman (T.E. Besser);

[3]US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Pullman (M.A. Highland);

[4]Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Lewiston, Idaho, USA (E.F. Cassirer);

[5]Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Bozeman, Montana, USA (N.J. Anderson, J.M. Ramsey);

[6]Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Spokane Valley, Washington, USA (K. Mansfield);

[7]US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Olympia, Washington, USA (D.L. Bruning);

[8]Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno, Nevada, USA (P. Wolff);

[9]South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, USA (J.B. Smith, J.A. Jenks)

Author notes

Address for correspondence: Thomas E. Besser, Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, PO Box 647034, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7034, USA; email: tbesser@ 123456vetmed.wsu.edu

Article

Publisher ID: 11-1554

DOI: 10.3201/eid1803.111554

PMC ID: 3309594

PubMed ID: 22377321

SO-VID: 4ccf0ce1-eb1a-4086-8e92-5f6586bfdc94

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Causes of Pneumonia Epizootics among Bighorn Sheep, Western United States, 2008–2010

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Most cited references 28

Sequence-based identification of microbial pathogens: a reconsideration of Koch's postulates.

Development of PCR assays for species- and type-specific identification of Pasteurella multocida isolates.

Detection and identification of microorganisms by gene amplification and sequencing.

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