Skin test of goats vaccinated and infected with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Abstract

Ten goats were vaccinated with a 3% toxoid, ten vaccinated with a bacterin and two control groups (five animals each) inoculated with brain heart infusion and saline solution, respectively. All animals were skin tested with a crude antigen of formalin-killed Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bacterial cells. All goats were challenged with a virulent C. pseudotuberculosis thirty days after vaccination. Neither the vaccinated nor control goats responded to the skin test prior to infection. After the challenge, dermal reactions were demonstrated in all animals at one week, five and ten weeks. The diameters increased from the first week, five and ten weeks. The reactions were more proeminent at ten weeks. The results of this study indicate that skin testing with a specific bacterial antigen of C. pseudotuberculosis may be useful in goats for field diagnosis of caseous lymphadenitis or as an experimental tool to monitor progress of the disease.