Mycoplasma is often treated as “background” in many production systems. But in this interview, a veterinary professor makes a sharp economic point: the global impact of mycoplasma is likely underestimated, partly because in high-prevalence regions it becomes “accepted” rather than measured.

A key challenge is benchmarking. When a pathogen is widespread, it can be difficult to find a true mycoplasma-negative reference group to compare performance against. That makes losses harder to quantify and easier to ignore — even when they continue to erode productivity and increase health costs.

In the conversation, recorded during the 3rd Regional Animal Health Symposium hosted by Fatro – Güneşli Animal Health, Prof. Dr. Naola Ferguson suggests the true global impact is at least in the millions — and potentially in the billions of dollars, once you consider the cumulative effects across regions, species, and production cycles.

The interview also addresses a critical operational question: How effective are drugs against mycoplasma? The answer is nuanced. Some drugs can be highly effective initially, but antibiotic resistance may develop quickly, meaning a product can work for a short period and then lose effectiveness within one to two years. Meanwhile, other drugs may remain useful longer, but their efficacy can decline gradually over time — making outcomes difficult to predict without strong monitoring and strategy updates.

Watch the full exclusive interview on the official The Animal Economics YouTube channel.