Distribution of lesions in cattle affected by bovine tuberculosis in the State of Minas Gerais from 2004-2008

Abstract

The distribution of lesions and the characteristics of cattle affected by bovine tuberculosis (TB) in thestate of Minas Gerais (MG) were evaluated using data from samples sent to the official laboratory of theBrazilian Ministry of Agriculture for bacteriological diagnosis. It was conducted a descriptive study using1,081 samples with lesions suggestive of TB that were sent for bacteriological diagnosis of Mycobacteriumbovis. The respiratory system had the highest injury frequency (53.01%), followed by the carcass (20.23%),the abdominal cavity (16.52%), the tongue (8.26%) and the breast (1.98%). The pulmonary lymph nodes(19.7%), mediastinal lymph nodes (12.8%) and lung parenchyma (12.0%) were the main tissues from whichM. bovis was isolated with great regularity. This study revealed the existence of a higher percentage offemale (63.8%) dairy cattle (40.1%) from two and a half to seven years of age (85.2%) among the affected animals. The results of this study will help to subsidize the National Program for Control and EradicationTuberculosis in Brazil, which aims to collect samples for bacterial isolation and molecular diagnosis.