Mycobacteria isolated from tuberculin-like lesions of lymph nodes of swine from Paraná Brazil

Abstract

A macroscopic examination of the cervical lymph nodes of 2.000 slaughtered swine showed that 62 of the lymph nodes (3.1%) had necrotic, tuberculin-like areas varying in size from the size of the head of a straight-pin to the size of a kernel of corn. The swine were produced in the interior of the state of Paraná and were one year of age or older. From the 62 infected lymph nodes, mycobacteria were obtained from 41. The identification of these, based on cultural and biochemical properties and pathogenicity tests with guinea pigs and chickens, revealed that of the 41 cultures, there were; 3 Mycobacterium bovis, 3 M. scrofulaceum, 1 M; gordonea, 33 M. intracellulare and 1 M. terrae. This shows that M. intracellulare was the principal causative agent of tuberculin-like lesions in cervical lymph nodes of the swine studied.