Molecular epidemiology of infectious keratoconjunctivitis caused by Mycoplasma conjunctivae in European countries. Mycoplasma conjunctivae in Europe

M. conjunctivae infections in wild Caprinae (Rupicapra rupicapra, Rupricapra pyrenaica, Capra ibex) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries)collected from 2007 to 2012 in Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria, with a focus on the Alps, have been analysed with regard to the variable part of the lipoprotein S gene (lppS) seqeunce. A cluster analysis was performed and sample distribution was mapped considering epidemiological units based on animal movements, natural and anthropogenic barriers. Strains from the Alps were unrelated to those from the Pyrenees and Croatia. Within the Alps, 26 different clusters were identified, including 17 in Switzerland, seven in France, two in Austria and four in Italy, with four clusters distributed over country borders. A single cluster was detected over a linear distance of up to 115 km and within an area of up to17’000 km2.