<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0047_s_005">
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Contagious agalactia of ruminants is an endemic disease caused by <italic>Mycoplasma agalactiae</italic> in flicting significant losses on farms in deaths and forced slaughter of sick animals, abortions, births of sick young animals, and reduced milk and wool production. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of hydrometeorological conditions on the distribution and forms of contagious agalactia in sheep in Bessarabia, Ukraine.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0047_s_006">
<h3>Material and Methods</h3>
<p>The epizootic situation regarding contagious agalactia was studied during 2011–2021 on sheep farms in the south of the Odesa region in Bessarabia. Over two million blood samples from sheep aged 1–6 years were serologically investigated and the prevalence of agalactia was correlated with Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient for each sampling year.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0047_s_007">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>High rates of infection of sheep with contagious agalactia (from 13.1% to 14.4%) were registered in 2012, 2016 and 2021, years which according to the hydrothermal coefficient of 1.0 were sufficiently moist. The lowest incidence rates, from 6.5% to 7.4%, were registered in the very dry 2013, 2014 and 2019 with hydrothermal coefficients of 0.5‒0.6. In sufficiently moist years, contagious agalactia of sheep manifested itself in the mastitic form, while in the dry period the mastitic form was half as prevalent, and the mixed, articular and ocular forms of the disease proliferated.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2022-0047_s_008">
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The results indicate the circulation of <italic>Mycoplasma agalactiae</italic> among small ruminants in Bessarabia, and that the prevalence and the course of the associated disease depend on the humidity of the climate, <italic>i.e</italic>. the value of the hydrothermal coefficient.</p></sec></abstract>

Introduction
Contagious agalactia of ruminants is an endemic disease caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae in flicting significant losses on farms in deaths and forced slaughter of sick animals, abortions, births of sick young animals, and reduced milk and wool production. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of hydrometeorological conditions on the distribution and forms of contagious agalactia in sheep in Bessarabia, Ukraine.

Material and Methods
The epizootic situation regarding contagious agalactia was studied during 2011–2021 on sheep farms in the south of the Odesa region in Bessarabia. Over two million blood samples from sheep aged 1–6 years were serologically investigated and the prevalence of agalactia was correlated with Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient for each sampling year.

Results
High rates of infection of sheep with contagious agalactia (from 13.1% to 14.4%) were registered in 2012, 2016 and 2021, years which according to the hydrothermal coefficient of 1.0 were sufficiently moist. The lowest incidence rates, from 6.5% to 7.4%, were registered in the very dry 2013, 2014 and 2019 with hydrothermal coefficients of 0.5‒0.6. In sufficiently moist years, contagious agalactia of sheep manifested itself in the mastitic form, while in the dry period the mastitic form was half as prevalent, and the mixed, articular and ocular forms of the disease proliferated.

Conclusion
The results indicate the circulation of Mycoplasma agalactiae among small ruminants in Bessarabia, and that the prevalence and the course of the associated disease depend on the humidity of the climate, i.e. the value of the hydrothermal coefficient.

Influence of natural and climatic conditions on the distribution and forms of contagious agalactia in sheep in Bessarabia, Ukraine

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction
Contagious agalactia of ruminants is an endemic disease caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae in flicting significant losses on farms in deaths and...

Influence of natural and climatic conditions on the distribution and forms of contagious agalactia in sheep in Bessarabia, Ukraine

Published Online: Sep 02, 2022

Page range: 345 - 351

Received: Mar 14, 2022

Accepted: Aug 22, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2022-0047

Keywords
contagious agalactia, sheep, distribution, forms of disease course

© 2022 M.V. Bohach et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Influence of natural and climatic conditions on the distribution and forms of contagious agalactia in sheep in Bessarabia, Ukraine

Published Online: Sep 02, 2022

Page range: 345 - 351

Received: Mar 14, 2022

Accepted: Aug 22, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2022-0047

Keywordscontagious agalactia, sheep, distribution, forms of disease course

© 2022 M.V. Bohach et al. published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
contagious agalactia, sheep, distribution, forms of disease course