DefinePK

Abstract

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is a major pathogen of bovine, causing substantial economic losses to livestock industry. Current reports on the emerging resistance of M. bovis to effective antimicrobials call for the urgent preparation of a protective vaccine for the prevention of M. bovis infections. Limited improvements have been made in the development of protective vaccines. Primarily formalin-inactivated M. bovis isolates reduced the losses from M. bovis pneumonia in feedlots and mastitis in dairy animals. However, efforts using formalinized vaccines for the control of mycoplasmosis have largely been found ineffective or generate transient protection, possibly because of the deteriorating effects of formalin on the antigenic phenotype of M. bovis. Formalinized M. bovis vaccines have also reportedly exacerbated the disease pathology. Furthermore, experimental vaccines developed based-on either partially purified whole cell lysate or membrane proteins of M. bovis have been found disappointing in vaccinated cattle. Moreover attempts to develop subunit vaccines repeatedly found unsuccessful in protecting the animals from disease. Despite being a major pathogen of calf pneumonia, calf arthritis, and mastitis in dairy cattle no commercially available vaccines have been developed for the prevention of M. bovis infection. More recently, promising results of live attenuated vaccines have been reported in experimental calves however, the mechanism of protection and safety is yet to be defined. This review provides insights for future research to elucidate more specific and important essential virulence factors involved in the pathogenesis of wild-type M. bovis for the development of an effective vaccine.
Keywords: Cattle; Mycoplasma bovis; Mastitis; Pneumonia; Vaccine
http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2025.140083