Investigations into an Outbreak of Tuberculosis in a Flock of Sheep in Contact with Tuberculous Cattle

Malone, F.E.; Wilson, Evan C.; Pollock, J.M.; Skuce, Robin

doi:10.1046/j.1439-0450.2003.00714.x

Cited by 58 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The literature describing disease in some species is extensive, but there are only a limited number of reports of infection of sheep with M bovis. Single cases (Houlihan and others 2008, Marianelli and others 2010) and flock outbreaks (Cordes and others 1981, Davidson and others 1981, Malone and others 2003, Muñoz Mendoza and others 2011) have been reported. M bovis infection was typically detected by the recognition of suspicious lesions at slaughter or at a diagnostic postmortem examination where the lesions have often been incidental findings (Cordes and others 1981, Houlihan and others 2008, Marianelli and others 2010, Muñoz Mendoza and others 2011, Tag el Din and others 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An outbreak of tuberculosis in Lleyn sheep in the UK associated with clinical signs

Burgt¹,

Drummond²,

Crawshaw³

et al. 2013

Vet Record Case Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This case report describes an outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis infection a Lleyn sheep flock associated with clinical signs of illthrift. There was no known direct contact with tuberculous cattle although bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is endemic in the area. The spoligotype isolated from the diseased sheep was the local spoligotype. The repeated use of the comparative intradermal tuberculin test, and the subsequent removal of reactor animals, resulted in apparent elimination of bTB from the flock. Lesions caused by M bovis in sheep may contain very few acid-fast bacilli, and gross lesions may resemble those found in cases of Caseous Lymphadenitis. Routine meat inspection may, therefore, not always easily detect this notifiable disease.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An outbreak of tuberculosis in Lleyn sheep in the UK associated with clinical signs

Burgt¹,

Drummond²,

Crawshaw³

et al. 2013

Vet Record Case Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 In another study, an outbreak of M. bovis in a flock of sheep housed in close contact with tuberculous cattle was described. 10 Gross TB lesions were present in 4 of the 6 tuberculin-reacting sheep, and M. bovis was isolated from the lesions. Clinically, however, all affected sheep were healthy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

A Case of Generalized Bovine Tuberculosis in a Sheep

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The present report describes a rare case of generalized bovine-type tuberculosis in a slaughtered 4-year-old ewe discovered during routine surveillance at an abattoir. A postmortem examination revealed lesions in the ewe's thoracic and abdominal cavities, ranging from encapsulated, mineralized foci to extensive, soft, caseous tissue. Lesions in the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes were consistent with mycobacterial infection. A histopathological examination detected granulomatous lesions in all tissue samples. The presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genome was confirmed through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of tissues, using IS6110 primers, followed by a nucleotide sequence analysis of PCR products. Acidfast bacteria, characterized as Mycobacterium bovis, were isolated from lesions following 38 days of incubation.Key words: Mycobacterium bovis; polymerase chain reaction; sheep; tuberculosis.Mycobacterium bovis, the etiological agent of bovine-type tuberculosis (TB), has an exceptionally wide host range 8 and a complex epidemiological pattern of infection, involving interaction between humans and domestic and wild animals. Information on TB in sheep is scarce, and the general picture that emerges is far from conclusive. In a previous study, postmortem examinations on 70 tuberculinreacting sheep were carried out. 6 Tuberculous lesions similar to those of cattle were found in 61% of cases. Mycobacterium bovis was also recovered from 32 of 43 sheep with tuberculous lesions in a previous study.5 These animals belonged to a flock numbering 15,000 head, grazing on a farm with a history of widespread occurrence of TB in both cattle and possums. In a 1988 study, only 2 sheep with histological lesions typical of TB were observed in an abattoir survey of 9.9 million lambs and 1.97 million adult sheep.1 In another study, an outbreak of M. bovis in a flock of sheep housed in close contact with tuberculous cattle was described.10 Gross TB lesions were present in 4 of the 6 tuberculin-reacting sheep, and M. bovis was isolated from the lesions. Clinically, however, all affected sheep were healthy. The isolation of M. bovis from a sheep with tuberculous lesions, belonging to a flock of 200 ewes, has also been previously reported. 9In the current study, a rare case of generalized TB in a slaughtered 4-year-old ewe, discovered during routine surveillance at an abattoir, is described. The ewe in question belonged to a flock of 350 clinically healthy sheep bred on a Sicilian farm where cattle and goats were absent.Samples for histopathological, molecular, and culture examinations were taken from the ewe's submandibular, mesenteric, and mediastinal lymph nodes, as well as from organs with lesions compatible with TB, namely, diaphragm, lungs, and liver. Tissues were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and processed in 4-mm paraffin-embedded sections for histology. Four-micrometer sections were cut and stained with Ziehl-Neelsen and hematoxylin and eosin for histological examination. Gram and Grocott stains we...

show abstract

“…Tuberculosis (TB) in sheep, caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), has been reported in New Zealand, Sudan, Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom (Cordes et al, 1981;Davidson et al, 1981;Tag El Din and Nour Gamaan, 1992;Malone et al, 2003;Marianelli et al, 2010;Van Der Burgt, 2010). Ten clinical cases of TB have been reported previously in sheep in Spain: four in Aragón (M. bovis and M. caprae), four in Salamanca (M. bovis, spoligotype SB0124), one in Cataluña (M. bovis, SB0415) and one in Huelva (M. caprae, SB0157) (García Marín et al, 1989;Gutiérrez et al, 1997; MARM/VISAVET-Spanish Database of Animal Mycobacteriosis mycoDB 1 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%