Introduction

The bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 M. synoviae is a member of the mycoplasma

Mycoplasma

Mycoplasma refers to a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall. Without a cell wall, they are unaffected by many common antibiotics such as penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics that target cell wall synthesis. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans,...

 genus. It causes disease in the joints, bones and respiratory system of birds. It is found throughout the world and infection may be referred to as Infectious Synovitis, Avian Mycoplasmosis, Infectious Sinusitis and Mycoplasma Arthritis. It is of economic importance because infection can cause a drop in egg production. The disease is most commonly seen in chickens, and transmission occurs both vertically

Vertical transmission

Vertical transmission, also known as mother-to-child transmission, is the transmission of an infection or other disease from mother to child immediately before and after birth during the perinatal period. A pathogen's transmissibility refers to its capacity for vertical transmission...

 and horizontally

Horizontal transmission

Horizontal transmission is the transmission of a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection between members of the same species that are not in a parent-child relationship....

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Clinical Signs & Diagnosis

Common clinical signs include lameness, a stiff gait and abnormal curvature of the limbs. Respiratory and neurological signs are also reported. As mentioned, a drop in gg production]] often occurs.

A preliminary diagnosis can be made based on history, clinical exam and postmortem signs. Bacterial culture, immunofluorescence

Immunofluorescence

Immunofluorescence is a technique used for light microscopy with a fluorescence microscope and is used primarily on biological samples. This technique uses the specificity of antibodies to their antigen to target fluorescent dyes to specific biomolecule targets within a cell, and therefore allows...

, PCR, ELISA

ELISA

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay , is a popular format of a "wet-lab" type analytic biochemistry assay that uses one sub-type of heterogeneous, solid-phase enzyme immunoassay to detect the presence of a substance in a liquid sample."Wet lab" analytic biochemistry assays involves detection of an...

or slide agglutination tests (SAT) can be used to make a more definitive diagnosis.

Treatment & Control

M. synoviae is treated with antibiotics, but resistance to some types is reported. Specific antibiotic treatment is available for eggs.

The disease is controlled with vaccination

Vaccination

Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...

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