Mycoplasma feriruminatoris (Mferi) isolates were collected regularly although infrequently from wild Caprinae. They have been associated with arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, pneumonia and septicaemia but were also recovered from asymptomatic animals. To better characterize this recently described species, a genomic survey was performed on 14 isolates collected from animals in zoos or the Alps between 1987 and 2017. The average chromosome size of the Mferi strains was 1,040 ± 24 kbp, with 24% GC and an average of 905 CDS. Core and pan genomes of the Mferi species include 506 and 1725 protein families, respectively. Genome synteny was highly conserved. The Mferi strains displayed a relatively closed pan genome with many features and putative virulence factors shared with species from the Mycoides cluster, including the MIB-MIP Ig cleavage system, a repertoire of DUF285 surface proteins and a complete biosynthetic pathway for galactan. Phylogenetic trees and gene content analysis showed that Mferi was closer related to the Mycoides cluster than to the ruminant species Mycoplasma yeastsii and Mycoplasma putrefaciens. A plasmid was assembled for one strain and up to two ICE were identified in four strains. Ancestral genome reconstruction suggested that the emergence of the Mferi species was associated with the gain of 40 gene families and the loss of 26 others, some of them being involved in sugar transport and metabolism. Further investigations will be required to evaluate the impact of specific gene gains and losses in the biology of Mferi.< Leer menos