Septic tendosynovitis in a breeding ram and isolation of Mycoplasma arginini .

A breeding ram was submitted to a veterinary hospital due to persistent pneumonia, emaciation and high fever. Upon submission, it also showed severe weight-bearing lameness on all four legs with highly fluid-filled digital flexor tendon sheaths. Additionally, a mild brisket sore was diagnosed. The postmortem examination revealed a chronically active fibrinosuppurative inflammation of the digital flexor tendon sheaths on all four legs. Additionally, a distinctive chronically active necrotising, suppurative and abscess-forming soft tissue inflammation was identified in the sternal area. Microbiological examination of tissue samples from different locations revealed a mixed bacterial colonisation including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca and Trueperella pyogenes. Additionally, Mycoplasma arginini was detected in samples of the lung and tendon sheaths. Genome sequencing and characterisation of M. arginini revealed the presence of a prophage associated with arthritogenesis in related Mycoplasma species. However, the contribution of M. arginini to the diagnosed tendosynovitis cannot be conclusively clarified.

Bavarian Hlth & Food Safety Author LGL
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien