This study represents Mycoplasma species isolated from the respiratory tract of cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2002 and 2010. A total of 328 nasal swabs and 59 lung samples were submitted for isolation of mycoplasmas. Mycoplasmas were isolated from 27 samples (6.9%). M. bovis was recovered from eight nasal swabs and two lungs, while M. bovirhinis (n=4) and Acholeplasma sp. (n=1) were detected only in nasal swabs. Twelve mycoplasma isolates were unidentified (44.4%).

Actinobacillosis is a sporadic, inflammatory disease of the soft tissue in cattle, sheep, goats (Swarbrick 1967, Fubini and Campbell 1983, Muhammad and others 2006, Radostits 2007) and other species (Dibb and others 1981, Carmalt and others 1999, Kennerman and others 2006). The causative organism, Actinobacillus lignieresii , is part of the oral flora (Rycroft and Garside 2000, Quinn 2002) and invades mucosal surfaces following trauma caused by abrasive ingesta or the action of the teeth during mastication (Radostits 2007). In cattle, the disease typically involves the formation of pyogranulomas in the oral cavity, tongue or fore-stomachs with subsequent spread to regional lymph nodes (Hebeler and others 1961, Mortimer 1962, Rycroft and Garside 2000), although the skin of the head, neck and, occasionally, the limbs can also be affected. An unusual presentation of the disease is reported here where extensive distal limb involvement resulted in severe lameness in 20 of 130 animals on a beef fattening unit. The cases occurred in a group of one- to two-year-old Aberdeen Angus crossbred cattle over an 11-month period from when the animals were housed in October 2009 until the following August 2010. Affected animals were housed in groups of 30 to a pen in slatted units at a stocking density of 1 animal/2 metre2. The cases presented clinically as focally extensive unilateral firm swellings distal to the elbow/stifle regions of the fore and hind limbs, resulting in significant …

A total of 75,206 blood serum samples from dairy cattle and quarantined heifers was collected between 2001 and 2007 and analyzed for bovine leptospirosis by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Serovar Hardjo was used for testing of all sera, with the addition of 2 or 3 randomly chosen other serovars (Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Bataviae, Canicola, and/or Saxcoebing). From the total number of sera tested, 1197 (1.59%) were serologically positive, with a decreasing tendency over the years of research. The most prevalent serovar was Pomona (1.32%), followed by Hardjo (0.52%) and Grippotyphosa (0.37%). The differences among the studied regions in terms of the distribution of serovars and seroprevalence values may be attributed to different farm management approaches and climatic conditions. It is believed that the decrease in seroprevalence toward the last years of investigation may be due to the application of permanent control strategies against leptospirosis and antibiotic therapy for all seropositive animals with an antibody titer equal to or higher than 1:100.

Mycoplasma bovis is a serious, worldwide-spread but often overlooked pathogen causing respiratory disease, mastitis, and arthritis in cattle. In this study we characterize the protein and antigenic profiles of M. bovis field strains isolated in Bosnia and Herzegovina by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, and analyze possible variations among these strains. Greater differences occurred when comparing field strains with the reference strain PG45. One field strain isolated from lung samples of a heifer was markedly different from strains isolated from nasal swabs taken from cattle raised in another geographic region. A possible correlation may exist between protein and antigen profiles of M. bovis field strains, geographic regions and anatomical sites of isolation. Mycoplasma bovis, cattle, antigen, immunoblotting, protein, SDS-PAGE Mycoplasma bovis is the most pathogenic bovine mycoplasma in the parts of the world considered to be free of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. This pathogen primarily causes calf pneumonia, mastitis and arthritis. Other symptoms are seen less frequently. Diseases caused by M. bovis are found worldwide, causing significant economic losses. Yet, there are no effective control measures or standard protocols for their routine application available (Nicholas and Ayling 2003). Although M. bovis, like other mycoplasmas, possesses a small genome size, it is still highly invasive and able to colonize organ systems. It is now clear that one of the possible explanations for its ability to avoid bodily defence mechanisms and adapt to different environments in the host is due to phenotypic variations in mycoplasmas (Wise 1993; Razin et al. 1998; Minion 2002). Rosengarten et al. (1994) demonstrated highly variable membrane surface proteins (Vsps) of M. bovis which represent a family of antigenically and structurally related lipoproteins. These Vsps represent the predominant antigens recognized by the host immune response during infection, and they can undergo high frequency changes in size and expression. This system is responsible for the survival of these pathogens in the presence of cytolytic antibodies and for their adaptation to specialized environments within their respective hosts (Behrens et al. 1994; Razin et al.1998). A full understanding of phenotypic variation among M. bovis strains should be of great value when developing diagnostic methods and vaccines for the control of infections caused by this organism. Recently, M. bovis has been isolated, for the first time, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Rifatbegovic et al. 2007). The aim of this study was to characterize the protein and antigenic profile of these M. bovis field strains by SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulphatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and immunoblot and to analyze possible variations among these strains.