Isolation and identification of subsp. in cattle from south-east Nigeria.

Background: subsp. is the causative organism of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP). It is a trans-boundary disease and an endemic in Nigeria having caused serious financial loss for the country's economy.

Aim: This study was undertaken to isolate and confirm the presence of subsp. () in cattle, from three selected South-Eastern states of Nigeria.

Method: A total of 90 bovine samples (25 pleural fluids and 65 lung tissues) suggestive of CBPP were collected from different abattoirs in the three selected South-eastern states of Nigeria (Anambra, Enugu, and Imo), for the isolation of by employing cultural method, whereas for confirmation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach was used. The collected samples were cultured on Pleuropneumonia like organism (PPLO) agar according to specific protocols.

Results: Twenty five of the samples (lungs and pleural fluid) were positive for on PPLO agar giving an isolation rate of 27.7%. Only 21 of the isolates were further confirmed using PCR. The PCR amplification of the isolates produced a product of 1.1 kbp which is specific for . No positive isolates were recovered from Imo state.

Conclusion: This study confirms the presence of as the causative organism of CBPP in Southeast Nigeria. It is recommended that active surveillance and vaccination protocol should be undertaken in the region for the control and prevention of this disease.