Premium
AN ABATTOIR SURVEY OF TUBERCULOSIS IN FERAL BUFFALOES
Author(s) -
Hein W. R.,
Tomasovic A. A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1981.tb00429.x
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , lesion , medicine , veterinary medicine , mycobacterium bovis , lymph node , thoracic cavity , abdominal cavity , lymph , pathology , mycobacterium tuberculosis , surgery
SUMMARY Tuberculosis lesions were found in 193 (1.7%) of 11,322 buffaloes examined during routine post‐mortem inspection at 2 export abattoirs. The prevalence of tuberculosis in buffaloes supplied from 17 separate farms ranged from 0.3% to 8.22%, with the highest levels occurring on the coastal plains. Lesions were confined to one major body region in 50 of 72 randomly chosen cases of tuberculosis and to 2 or more regions in 22 cases. Thoracic lesions occurred in 65 of the 72 cases, abdominal lesions in 19, head lesions in 18 and carcase lesions in 9. In the thoracic cavity, lesions occurred most frequently in mediastinal and bronchial lymph nodes. In the head region the retropharyngeal lymph node was most frequently involved, in the abdominal cavity, the liver, and in the carcase, the deep inguinal lymph node. Tuberculosis lesions in buffaloes had a lardaceous consistency and were paler in colour and less calcified than those normally exhibited by cattle. Mycobacteria were isolated from 30 of 31 lesion samples submitted for bacteriological examination. Of the isolates, 25 were identified as Mycobacterium bovis , 3 as M. avium‐intracellulare‐scrofulaceum complex, one as M. fortuitum and one as M. flavescens . The M. bovis isolates from buffaloes showed minor cultural differences to those normally characteristic of bovine isolates.