UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious and economically important respiratory disease of goats caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). The present case study reports the clinico-pathological and molecular confirmation of CCPP in three goat flocks from Thotaravulapadu village, NTR district, Andhra Pradesh. Eleven goats of different age groups exhibited classical clinical signs including severe respiratory distress, sero-mucoid nasal discharge, coughing, dyspnoea, pyrexia, and general malaise. Three four-month-old kids that succumbed to the disease were subjected to detailed necropsy examination. Gross pathological findings revealed hydrothorax, bilateral fibrinous pleuritis, lung consolidation with characteristic marbling, and fibrinous pericarditis. Histopathological examination of lung tissues showed fibrin deposition, severe congestion, necrosis, sequestration, and infiltration of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells in alveoli and interlobular septa, along with fibrinous pleuritis. Molecular diagnosis was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the arcD gene of Mccp, which yielded a specific 316 bp amplicon from lung tissue samples, confirming the presence of the pathogen. Based on the integration of clinical signs, gross and histopathological lesions, and molecular evidence, the diagnosis of CCPP was conclusively established. This case study highlights the importance of rapid clinico-pathological assessment combined with molecular diagnostics for accurate confirmation of CCPP, which is crucial for timely disease control and prevention in endemic regions.