Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia in Goats: Severe Pneumonia Signs and Control

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, usually called CCPP, is a severe respiratory disease of goats caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae. It causes intense inflammation in the lungs and pleura, the lining around the lungs, so affected goats can become painfully short of breath very quickly.

This disease is especially concerning because it can spread fast through a susceptible herd by respiratory droplets. In herds with no prior exposure, illness rates can be extremely high, and death losses may also be high. Acute and subacute cases are often marked by fibrinous pleuropneumonia and large amounts of pleural fluid, which is why breathing can look so labored.

CCPP is considered an important transboundary animal disease in many parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Current USDA export health documents indicate the United States is considered free of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, so a goat in the U.S. with signs that could fit CCPP needs prompt veterinary evaluation and biosecurity planning right away.

For pet parents, the key takeaway is this: severe pneumonia in a goat is always urgent, and CCPP is one of the reasons your vet may recommend fast isolation, testing, and herd-level precautions instead of watching and waiting.

CCPP is caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp). Unlike many routine bacterial pneumonias, this organism is a specialized mycoplasma that can produce severe pleuropneumonia in goats. Transmission mainly happens through aerosol droplets and close respiratory contact between infected and susceptible animals.

Outbreak risk rises when goats are moved, mixed, transported, crowded, or stressed. Introducing new animals without quarantine is a major herd-level risk. In endemic regions, outbreaks can move rapidly through a herd. Carriers are thought to be less common than with some other infections, but they may still contribute to spread.

It is also important to know what CCPP is not. It is not considered a zoonotic infection, so it is not known as a disease people catch from goats in the usual sense. Still, people handling sick goats should use sensible hygiene and biosecurity because many respiratory outbreaks in livestock involve multiple possible pathogens until testing confirms the cause.

In the U.S., a goat with severe contagious pneumonia signs is more likely to have another respiratory disease than true CCPP, because the country is recognized as free of CCPP. That said, your vet should make that call, not the herd manager, because foreign animal disease concerns require careful evaluation.

Diagnosis starts with an urgent veterinary exam and a herd-level history. Your vet will look at fever, breathing effort, lung sounds, pain, the number of goats affected, and whether there has been recent purchase, transport, showing, or contact with outside animals. In areas where CCPP occurs, the pattern of disease plus necropsy findings may strongly suggest the diagnosis.

Definitive diagnosis usually requires laboratory testing. PCR testing on pleural fluid or affected lung tissue is especially useful for confirming CCPP. Culture can be attempted, but mycoplasmas can be difficult to isolate and may require special media and longer incubation. Serologic tests such as ELISA, complement fixation, passive hemagglutination, or latex agglutination may help with herd surveillance, but they are less reliable for diagnosing an individual goat in the middle of an acute illness.

If a goat dies, your vet may recommend necropsy and sample collection from the lungs and pleural space. That can be one of the fastest ways to clarify what is affecting the herd. In the United States, because CCPP is a foreign animal disease concern, your vet may also coordinate with state or federal animal health authorities if the case pattern raises concern.

Prevention starts with biosecurity. Quarantine all new or returning goats before they join the herd, avoid nose-to-nose contact with outside animals, and reduce crowding, transport stress, and poor ventilation. If any goat develops fever or respiratory signs, separate it promptly and call your vet before moving animals on or off the property.

For herd health, keep good records on purchases, illness, deaths, and recent travel. Clean and disinfect shared equipment when possible, and handle sick goats after healthy ones. If a respiratory outbreak occurs, your vet may recommend movement restrictions, testing, and necropsy of any animals that die so the cause is identified quickly.

Vaccines against CCPP are available in some countries where the disease is endemic, and WOAH reports good to excellent protection from inactivated, adjuvanted vaccines. However, vaccine availability and recommendations vary by country and region. In the United States, where CCPP is considered absent, prevention focuses more on import controls, quarantine, surveillance, and rapid investigation of suspicious cases.

Because severe pneumonia in goats can have several causes, the most practical prevention plan is not built around one disease alone. It is built around a strong relationship with your vet, careful animal introductions, fast isolation of sick goats, and a herd management plan that matches your goals and resources.