Mycoplasma bovis isolates with decreased susceptibilities to tetracyclines are increasingly reported worldwide. The acquired molecular mechanisms associated with this phenomenon were investigated in 70 clinical isolates of M. bovis . Sequence analysis of the two 16S rRNA-encoding genes ( rrs3 and rrs4 alleles) containing the primary binding pocket for tetracycline (Tet-1 site) was performed on isolates with tetracycline hydrochloride MICs of 0.125 to 16 μg/ml. Mutations at positions A965T, A967T/C ( Escherichia coli numbering) of helix 31, U1199C of helix 34, and G1058A/C were identified. Decreased susceptibilities to tetracycline (MICs, ≥2 μg/ml) were associated with mutations present at two (A965 and A967) or three positions (A965, A967, and G1058) of the two rrs alleles. No tet (M), tet (O), or tet (L) determinants were found in the genome of any of the 70 M. bovis isolates. The data presented correlate ( P < 0.0001) the mutations identified in the Tet-1 site of clinical isolates of M. bovis with decreased susceptibility to tetracycline.

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Mycoplasma bovis is a major bovine pathogen associated with bovine respiratory disease complex and is responsible for substantial economic losses worldwide. M. bovis is also associated with other clinical presentations in cattle, including mastitis, otitis, arthritis, and reproductive disorders. To gain a better understanding of the genetic diversity of this pathogen, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme was developed and applied to the characterization of 137 M. bovis isolates from diverse geographical origins, obtained from healthy or clinically infected cattle. After in silico analysis, a final set of 7 housekeeping genes was selected ( dnaA , metS , recA , tufA , atpA , rpoD , and tkt ). MLST analysis demonstrated the presence of 35 different sequence types (STs) distributed in two main clonal complexes (CCs), defined at the double-locus variant level, namely, CC1, which included most of the British and German isolates, and CC2, which was a more heterogeneous and geographically distant group of isolates, including European, Asian, and Australian samples. Index of association analysis confirmed the clonal nature of the investigated M. bovis population, based on MLST data. This scheme has demonstrated high discriminatory power, with the analysis showing the presence of genetically distant and divergent clusters of isolates predominantly associated with geographical origins.

A retrospective study of microbiological laboratory results from 2020 to 2022, obtained from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory of the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, focused on canine otitis cases, was performed. The objective of this study was to analyze the pathogen distribution, antimicrobial susceptibility, prevalence of multidrug resistant phenotypes and the role of coinfections in otitis cases in order to provide up-to-date evidence that could support effective control strategies for this prevalent pathology. A total of 604 submissions were processed for the diagnosis of canine external otitis. Of the samples analyzed, 472 were positive for bacterial or fungal growth (78.1%; 95% CI: 74.8–81.4%). A total of 558 microbiological diagnoses were obtained, divided in 421 bacterial (75.4%; 95% CI: 71.8–79.0%) and 137 fungal (24.6%; 95% CI: 20.9–28.1%) identifications. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Malassezia pachydermatis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most prevalent microorganisms detected in clinical cases of otitis. High level antimicrobial resistance was found for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30.7%), Proteus mirabilis (29.4%), Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (25.1%) and Escherichia coli (19%). Multidrug-resistant phenotypes were observed in 47% of the bacteria isolated. In addition, a 26.4% prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was detected. The high prevalence of antimicrobial resistant phenotypes in these bacteria highlights the current necessity for constant up-to-date prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility data that can support evidence-based strategies to effectively tackle this animal and public health concern.