抄録
Mycoplasmas were isolated from 100 (30.8%) of 324 specimens collected from 81 apparently healthy or affected dogs. They were isolated from nasal cavity (17/23:73.9%), oral cavity (7/7: 100%), trachea (33/46: 71.7%), lung (9/46: 19.5%), liver (1/40:2.5%), kidney (2/38: 5.2%), spleen (2/40: 5.0%), lymph node (4/35: 11.4%), vagina (18/30: 60.0%) and urethra (7/10: 70.0%). Negative results were obtained from 3 specimens of skin and one each of prostate, thyroid, tonsil, testicle, and pleural and peritoneal fluid. A total of 158 strains cloned from these positive cultures could be differentiated into 6 types on the basis of their colonial morphology and various biological and serological characteristics. Of them, 72 strains were identified as M. canis, 28 as M. edwardii, 23 as M. spumans, and 21 as M. maculosum. A sterol-nonrequiring strain isolated from the vagina of a bitch was identified as Acholeplasma laidlawii. Eleven strains isolated from the urethra of male dogs and from the vagina of a female were clearly distinguished from any other previously described canine mycoplasma biologically and serologically, although they were found to be related to one another. In addition, they appeared to have no antigenic relationship to other human and animal mycoplasma species when examined by the growth inhibition test. 0n the basis of the biological and serological characteristics, it is suggested that this group of isolates may belong to a new species of canine mycoplasmas.
