Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP)

Unique identifier / Notation

BI0305

Synonyms

Pleuropneumonie contagieuse caprine (fr) Perineumonía contagiosa caprina (es)

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a disease affecting goats and some wild ruminant species, caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). In goats, it is manifested by anorexia, fever and respiratory signs such as dyspnoea, polypnea, cough and nasal discharges. The acute and subacute disease is characterised by unilateral serofibrinous pleuropneumonia with severe pleural effusion. (Adapted from WOAH, 2021).

Primary reference(s)

WOAH, 2021. Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, 13th edition. World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Accessed 1 January 2025.

Annotations

Additional scientific description

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is one of the most severe diseases of goats (Spickler, 2015). The disease caused by Mccp is readily contagious and fatal to susceptible goats of all ages and both sexes, rarely affects sheep and does not affect cattle (WOAH, 2021)

CCPP is a disease affecting goats and some wild ruminant species caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) (WOAH, 2021). This disease, which affects the respiratory tract, is extremely contagious and frequently fatal; in some naive flocks, the morbidity and mortality rates may reach 100% (Spickler, 2015). CCPP affects goats in more than 40 countries of the world thereby posing a serious threat to goat farming around the globe (Yatoo et al., 2019). In its acute form, it is manifested by anorexia and respiratory symptoms (coughing, nasal discharge, dyspnoea, polypnoea) and by the presence of exudative pleurisy and pneumonia. Some animals develop sub-acute forms with very limited and hardly detectable symptoms. The transmission of CCPP occurs by direct contact between infected and healthy animals (OIE, 2009). Typical lesions of CCPP are an accumulation of pleural fluid, unilateral hepatisation, adhesions, pleurisy and pleuropneumonia (Samiullah, 2013). Clinical signs of CCPP are very often confused with other causes, Pasteurellosis, peste des petits Ruminants (OIE, 2018). In the field, the control of CCPP is very often based on antibiotic treatment (WOAH, 2021). Diagnosis is carried out by clinical and necropsy observations that should be confirmed by laboratory tests (OIE, 2018). Definitive CCPP diagnosis can be difficult, as the detection of the causative agent by culture is very difficult and PCR is the preferred diagnostic to detect Mccp DNA in suspicious samples due to challenges in culturing the pathogen (Spickler, 2015).

The disease was first described in 1873 in Algeria. Shortly after, in 1881, the disease was introduced to South Africa by a shipment of Angora goats. The disease was eradicated using a policy of slaughtering the infected goats coupled with a traditional vaccination procedure for the in-contact goats. This organism was first isolated and shown to cause CCPP in Kenya, it has subsequently been isolated in Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Niger, Oman, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, and more recently in Mauritius, China Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia. CCPP was first reported in mainland Europe in 2004, when outbreaks were confirmed in the Thrace region of Turkey, with losses of up to 25% of kids and adults in some herds. However, the exact distribution of the disease is not known, and it may be much more widespread than the zone represented by the countries where Mccp has been isolated, as CCPP is often confused with other respiratory infections and also because the isolation of the causative organism is difficult (WOAH, 2021).

In CCPP outbreaks in mixed goat and sheep herds, sheep may also be infected, as verified by isolation of Mccp or detection of antibodies from clinically affected sheep. Mccp has also been isolated from healthy sheep and the role of sheep as a reservoir for the disease has to be considered. CCPP was first confirmed in wild ruminants kept in a wildlife preservation reserve in Qatar. The disease affected wild goats, Nubian Ibex, Laristan mouflon and Gerenuk with significant morbidity and mortality in these species. It has also been reported in gazelles in the United Arab Emirates. There is growing evidence that a number of wild ruminant species are susceptible, such as the Tibetan antelope and Arabian oryx. In sand gazelles, the mortality rate reached up to 70% (WOAH, 2021).

CCPP vaccines exist and are efficient. They include an Mccp purified and inactivated antigen adjuvanted with saponin (WOAH, 2021). CCPP can be controlled by the application of treatment during the outbreak, restricting animal movements, slaughtering infected animals and vaccination (Thiacourt et al., 1996). Most countries maintain a list of approved veterinary vaccines for use. For specific regulations, consult the country's veterinary authorities.

There is no evidence that humans are infected by Mccp (Spickler, 2015). The disease is included in the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) list of notifiable diseases (WOAH, 2024). CCPP-free countries may pose trade restrictions on domestic and wild goats from countries considered infected with CCPP (WOAH, 2024).

Metrics and numeric limits

The disease is included in the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) list of notifiable diseases (WOAH, 2024).

Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty

WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) (WTO, 1994). https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/agrmntseries4_sps_e.pdf Accessed 1 January 2025.

United Nations. 2023. UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods - UN Model Regulations Model Regulations. https://unece.org/transport/dangerous-goods/un-model-regulations-rev-23 Accessed 1 January 2025.

Drivers

Contamination may be caused by the introduction of this bacterium to a susceptible flock, lack of biosecurity, and presence of vectors (FAO, 2017). CBPP may spread when displaced people bring their cattle when they move (or move back).

Impacts

Death of infected animals, spread of infection, trade ban (FAO, 2017). Although the mortality rate is generally low, economic losses result from loss of condition, decreased milk production, abortions, infertility and damaged hides. 

CCPP is considered one of the most severe and highly infectious diseases in goats. It results in heavy economic losses to countries involved in goat farming especially in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The disease is one of the mycoplasmal infections resulting in significant losses in almost 40 countries, and morbidity and mortality can be as high as 100%, especially in exotic breeds. In naive and native herds, 100% morbidity and 80% mortality have been noted. It is estimated that the total yearly cost of CCPP is about US$507 million in endemic areas thus involving major economic losses. Economic losses are both by morbidity, mortality and decline or loss of production performance in addition to costs involved in prevention, control and treatment. Morbidity causes constraints in livestock management, overburdens with costs of treatment, and imposes restrictions on trade or transport. Mortality causes direct loss due to the death of the valuable animals. Diseased animals are usually culled in developed countries, which is not possible in under-developed and developing countries like India. Loss of production performance is severe (Yatoo et al., 2019).

As an example, the disease causes huge economic losses to Changpas, native inhabitants of Changthang, Ladakh, India who are traditional Pashmina farmers and are directly dependent (90–100%) on the traditional and nationally important venture-Pashmina farming and contribute 80% (45–50 tons) to national output (60 tons) of Pashmina. A loss of around 30% in Pashmina yield in CCPP-affected goats and a benefit-cost ratio of 0.79 in untreated animals against 8.76 in treated animals has been reported (Yatoo et al., 2019).

Multi-hazard context

Not Applicable.

Risk Management

CCPP risk management is via vaccination programmes, vector control, movement control and farm biosecurity (FAO, 2017; Samiullah, 2013).

Monitoring

The section and the table below offer an overview of monitoring for contagious caprine pleuropneumonia. This information can be used for forecasting within a national early warning system (EWS). Since EWS capacities and processes differ across countries, the most current and specific information regarding EWS should be obtained from the appropriate national or regional agency/authority responsible for disaster management.

Which institution(s) produce(s) Disaster Risk Data/Information?

Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Livestock; FAO Reference Centres, WOAH Reference Centres,

How is the Hazard Observed/Monitored/Forecast?

Through its global early warning system, FAO has been supporting Members with risk monitoring, assessment and forecasting for animal health threats to enhance preparedness and response to animal health threats:

The Global Animal Disease Information System, EMPRES-i+, plays a crucial role in supporting countries with early warning and early detection of animal disease outbreaks. By providing a comprehensive platform for real-time disease tracking, EMPRES-i+, enables monitoring and analysis of animal health threats effectively, collaborating closely with countries and regions on disease information sharing. This supports the dissemination of risk assessments and alerts for evidence-based decision-making.
FAO develops and maintains decision support tools that provide risk maps of existing and predicted risks of animal disease emergence, as well as other threats to the agri-food chain.
Additionally, FAO collaborates closely with international organizations like WHO and WOAH to verify disease information through integrated mechanisms such as the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS), the Global Early Warning System (GLEWS+), and the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) for WOAH-listed diseases. These collaborations allow for the dissemination of early warning alerts and risk assessments to Members, to enable timely responses to potential outbreaks.

FAO empres-i+ https://empres-i.apps.fao.org/diseases

WOAH WAHIS https://wahis.woah.org/#/event-management