Ocorrência de linfadenite caseosa em ovinos da raça Santa Inês com linfonodos superficiais reativos na região de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

This work aimed to evaluate the occurrence of caseous lymphadenitis and tuberculosis in Santa Ines sheep, with the presence of reactive superficial lymph nodes on clinical examination, it was examined 650 adult animals, between one and four years of age from 11 farms in the region of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Tuberculin cervical comparative test (CCT) was performed, as well as microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR) for positive cultures and serum samples for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis identification. From the total of 650 sheep examined, 14.6% (96/650) had at least one presented swelling superficial lymph node, and the frequency was: pre-scapular reactive lymph nodes (41.9%), submandibular (38.1%), parotid (14 3%) and pre-crural (5.7%). The microbiological culture punctured material showed growth of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in 81.8% of the samples (18/22), Staphylococcus sp and Escherichia coli in 4.6% (1/22) and no growth in 13.6% (3/22). All 18 samples of the culture of C. pseudotuberculosis were positive by PCR and only (3/22) serum samples positive by PCR. The TCC made of 96 sheep, 93 negative tests and 3 inconclusive. It is concluded that in Santa Ines sheep with the presence of swelling in superficial lymph node, the incidence of caseous lymphadenitis was 81.8% (18/22) and 3.1% (3/96) of animals were inconclusive in the tuberculin cervical comparative test.