Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Studies of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Strain in Naturally Infected Pigs in Nigeria

Enzootic pneumonia caused by hyopneumoniae (MHYO) remains a serious concern to the swine industry in many countries including Nigeria. MHYO strains isolated from pigs from different countries and geographical locations are known to vary in pathogenicity. There is a paucity of information on the pathogenicity of the MHYO strain affecting pigs in Nigeria. This study investigated the pathogenicity of the MHYO strain in naturally infected pigs using immunohisto-chemistry and electron microscopy. Two hundred and sixty four lungs of slaughtered pigs were randomly collected from abattoirs at Abeokuta, Ibadan and Lagos, in Southwest Nigeria. A sub-sample of 104 pneumonic and 20 apparently normal lungs was selected, processed for routine histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry, while 3 lung tissues samples were selected for ultrastructural studies. The most significant microscopic changes observed were suppurative broncho-interstitial pneumonia associated with varying degrees of lymphoid hyperplasia of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) and thickened alveolar septa due to cellular infiltration consisting predominantly of neutrophils and a few mononuclear cells. Immunohistochemically, MHYO antigen was detected in 86/104 (82.69 %) of MHYO-infected lung tissues and typically exhibited a granular brown reaction on the bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial lining, mononuclear cells in the BALT and luminal cellular exudates within the airways. Transmission electron microscopy revealed numerous Mycoplasma organisms in the lumina of the airways, in between degenerated cilia, while a few Mycoplasmas were located within the alveoli. It was concluded that the MHYO strain detected in this study was pathogenic to pigs and capable of inducing pneumonia, and therefore implicated in the pathogenesis.