Apparent prevalence of Mycoplasma wenyonii, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos, and bovine leukemia virus in Wisconsin and Michigan dairy cattle herds

Summary: Mycoplasma wenyonii and a related organism, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos, have been detected in both ill and apparently healthy cattle, but little is known about their prevalence in US dairy cattle. Blood samples were collected from 1,930 dairy cows on 64 Wisconsin farms and 591 dairy cows in 18 Michigan dairy farms. Samples were tested for Mycoplasma wenyonii and Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos using whole-blood PCR, and were tested for serum antibodies to bovine leukemia virus using ELISA. This is the first report of the prevalence of hemotrophic mycoplasmas in Wisconsin and Michigan dairy herds and indicates that infection with these organisms is endemic.