ABSTRACT
Samples from intestines, liver, and lymph nodes were collected from a dairy steer with clinical suspicion of paratuberculosis. The samples were processed for histologic examination with hematoxylin-eosin and Zihel-Neelsen (ZN) staining for the detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), and submitted to immunohistochemistry (IHC). Macroscopic changes were observed in the small intestines, with thickening and corrugation of the mucosa. The main microscopic changes were found in small intestines, lymph vessels in the mesentery, and mesenteric lymph nodes characterized by enteritis, lymphangiectasia, and lymphadenitis. Liver presented with granulomatous hepatitis, an uncommon histopathological feature for paratuberculosis. The clinical features associated with positive culture of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and detection of AFB by ZN and IHC in the cytoplasm of macrophages (epithelioid) in the intestinal mucosa and submucosa, lymph nodes, and liver were important to confirm the diagnosis of paratuberculosis.
Subject(s)
Cattle , Hepatitis/pathology , Mycobacterium/pathogenicity , ParatuberculosisABSTRACT
Aiming to understanding the goat industry in the State of Rio de Janeiro, from 1998-2000, this study was carried out in 48 goat farms, 72.9 percent of which with an area of less than eight hectares. Also, 62.5 percent of the farms had irregular topography, and 69 percent of them kept Saanen breed in a confined system (93.7 percent). Animals were housed between 16 to 24 hours/day in suspended wooden stalls, and 83.3 percent were dairy goats