LINFADENITE CASEOSA EM REBANHOS OVINOS NO ESTADO DE MINAS GERAIS, BRASIL: PREVALÊNCIA E INFORMAÇÕES DE MANEJO

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (Cp) is the etiological agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CL) and an economically important disease that affects sheep. Seroprevalence of pseudotuberculosis and risk factors associated with CL were studied in sheep herds from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 642 sheep from 97 flocks and sera was tested for antibodies by ELISA. A questionnaire was applied in order to gather information about the farm, flock, and animals, such as breed, sex and age. This is the first seroepidemiological survey for CL in sheep flocks from Minas Gerais. Estimated animal prevalence was 70,9% (95% CI: 64,7 - 77,0%) and prevalence of infected flocks was 95,9% (95% CI: 89,8 - 98,9%). These values were considerably higher than those predicted in the questionnaire. Seropositivity frequency in sheep sera varied significantly depending on breed (P=0,021), and age (P=0,049), and the highest rates were observed in animals older than 12 months.