Mycoplasma diseases of ruminants

Mycoplasmas cause some of the most serious and economically significant diseases in livestock and pose major problems for animal health authorities worldwide. Infection has spread in the last five years to new regions and species, but little effective control is available, particularly in developing countries.This work encapsulates the latest research and development on mycoplasmas in sheep, goats and cattle from laboratories all over the world, describing both conventional diagnostic techniques for growth and identification and newly established procedures such as PCR/DGGE. Molecular typing methods are also covered, specifically for use in mycoplasma fingerprinting as well as up to date reviews on the major mycoplasma diseases including contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonias, contagious agalactia and many conditions caused by Mycoplasma bovis.