Mycobacterial infection of pigs in Croatia

• Published in: Acta veterinaria Hungarica (Budapest. 1983) Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Cvetnić, Z, Spicić, S, Benic, M, Katalinić-Janković, Vera, Pate, Mateja, Krt, B, Ocepek, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hungary Akadémiai Kiadó 01.03.2007
• Subjects: Animals; Croatia - epidemiology; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Mycobacterium - genetics; Mycobacterium - isolation & purification; Mycobacterium avium; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - microbiology; Tuberculin Test - veterinary; Tuberculosis - epidemiology; Tuberculosis - microbiology; Tuberculosis - veterinary; Croatia
• ISSN: 0236-6290; 1588-2705
• DOI: 10.1556/avet.55.2007.1.1

During a five-year period (2000 to 2004) 74,342 pigs were tested by the intradermal tuberculin test in Croatia. Of them, 248 (0.33%) pigs were positive and 91 (0.12%) were found to be suspicious in 7 out of the 13 farms included in the study. Gross pathological changes characteristic of tuberculosis were observed in tuberculin-positive and/or suspicious swine. Mycobacterium was isolated from the lymph nodes of 183 out of 234 swine (78.2%). For better epidemiological understanding, isolates were typed by conventional methods, PCR and hybridisation. The results show that most of the isolates belonged to the Mycobacterium avium complex (175 isolates, 95.7%). Other isolates belonged to M. fortuitum (6 isolates, 3.3%), M. chelonae (1 isolate, 0.5%), and M. peregrinum (1 isolate, 0.5%). Isolated strains of the M. avium complex were identified as M. a. avium (37 isolates, 21.1%) and M. a. hominissuis (138 isolates, 78.9%).