4.3 Article

Caseous lymphadenitis in sheep flocks of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: Prevalence and management surveys

Journal

SMALL RUMINANT RESEARCH
Volume 87, Issue 1-3, Pages 86-91

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2009.09.027

Keywords

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis; Caseous lymphadenitis; Sheep; Prevalence; Minas Gerais; Epidemiology; Brazil

Funding

  1. Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuaria (IMA)
  2. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)
  3. Fundacao de Amparo Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)
  4. Fundacao de Ensino e Pesquisa ern Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia (FEP-MVZ

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Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the etiologic agent of caseous lymphadenitis, which is a serious, economically important problem for sheep production. We examined the sero-prevalence of infection by C. pseudotuberculosis and possible risk factors associated with caseous lymphadenitis in sheep herds of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Samples were collected from 642 sheep from 97 farms. Sera of all of the sheep were tested with ELISA for antibodies against C. pseudo tuberculosis. A questionnaire was applied to gather data on the farm, the sheep herd, the farmer, and individual animal data (breed, sex and age). This is the first sero-epidemiological survey for caseous lymphadenitis in sheep herds in Minas Gerais. We found a high real prevalence, much higher than that suggested from information obtained with the questionnaire,which points to the scarcity of vaccination against caseous lymphadenitis in the sample evaluated. Only a small proportion of the farmers declared that cases of this disease were present in their flocks. The frequency of seropositive sheep varied significantly with breed (chi(2) test, P = 0.021). Age group also significantly affected the percentage of seropositivity (chi(2) test, P=0.049), the highest frequency being found in ad tilt animals (more than 12 months old), when compared to the 5-12 months old group (chi(2) test, P=0.021). The prevalence of infection with C. pseudotuberculosis in sheep in the state of Minas Gerais was estimated to be 70.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 64.7-77.0%) and the prevalence of infected flocks being 95.9% (95% CI: 89.8-98.9%). We concluded that C. pseudotuberculosis infection is widely disseminated in sheep flocks in Minas Gerais and that caseous lymphadenitis control and eradication programs are necessary in this state. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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