Clinical cases of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in sheep: Retrospective clinical, sonographic, and pathological investigations.

Background: Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae. It affects goats, sheep, and wild ruminants.

Aim: This study investigated the clinical, sonographic, and pathological findings in sheep with serologically confirmed CCPP, highlighting the potential of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool.

Methods: Thirty-four sheep were serologically confirmed to have CCPP by latex agglutination test (LAT) and underwent clinical examination and sonographic imaging of the lungs, pleura, urinary and digestive systems, peritoneum, and liver. Pleural effusion was aspirated under ultrasound guidance to alleviate dyspnea. Necropsy and histopathological examination were performed to correlate imaging findings with pathological changes.

Results: Clinical signs included weight loss, fever, tachycardia, polypnea, dyspnea, cough, nasal discharge, and bluish mucous membranes. Pulmonary ultrasound showing consolidated lung parenchyma with a hepatic-like texture. Pleural effusion, the most prominent sonographic finding, exhibited echogenicity ranging from anechoic to hyperechoic, with fibrin networks and precipitates of varying severity. Dyspnea significantly improved after pleural effusion aspiration. Necropsy revealed typical CCPP lesions, including unilateral sero-fibrinous pleuropneumonia with lung consolidation and pleural effusion varying from straw-colored to bloody or turbid. Histopathology revealed bronchiolar and alveolar obliteration by fibrin and inflammatory cells, predominantly neutrophils and macrophages.

Conclusion: Ultrasound effectively identified sero-fibrinous pleuropneumonia in CCPP-infected sheep, which was in agreement with postmortem findings. This technique aids in the early detection and isolation of infected animals and is a valuable tool until culture or molecular testing provides definitive results.