An in vitro study of the replication of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae

Authors: Major RM, Clarke JK, Alley MR
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 27, Issue 4, pp 58-61, Apr 1979
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Notifiable organisms/exotic disease, Bacterial, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Pneumonia/pleurisy, Respiratory system
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: The growth of a New Zealand strain of M. ovipneumoniae in broth culture at 37°C was examined. In these conditions, the organism had a minimum division time of 1.7 hr and attained a maximum titre of about 2x10⁹ CFU/ml. Growth produced sufficient turbidity, particularly in shaking cultures, to allow this to be correlated with the viable count. The cultures died rapidly following the attainment of maximum titre. Electron microscopic examination revealed a morphology typical of mycoplasmas, except that most organisms measured 400 to 700nm in diameter which is relatively large. The presence of dumb-bell-shaped forms, and the absence of filaments suggest that the organisms divide by binary fission.

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