Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a cause of major economic losses to goat producers in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Disease is caused by members of the Mycoplasma genus – usually "Mycoplasma capricolum" subsp. "capricolum" but sometimes by "M. mycoides" subsp. "capri" or "M. mycoides" subsp. "mycoides". It is extremely contagious with very high morbidity and mortality rates, causing an interstitial fibrinous pleuropneumonia in infected goats. Infection is spread by close-contact aerosol, therefore overcrowding and confinement increases disease incidence. Stress factors such as malnutrition and long transport can also predispose animals to disease. Goats are the
Animal suicide shore birds, the definitive hosts of the parasite. A popular misconception is that the lemming will commit mass suicide during migration. This misconception was first popularized by media in the 1960s, such as a mention in the Cyril M. Kornbluth short story "The Marching Morons" in 1951 and the 1955 comic "The Lemming with the Locket", inspired by a 1953 "American Mercury" article. Perhaps one of the most influential factors in this misconception was the Academy Award-winning Disney film "White Wilderness", which showed staged footage of lemmings jumping off a cliff during migration. Animal suicide Animal suicide refers to any