Bacteriological Studies on Mycobacterium Complex Group in Farm Animals

Summary:-The study was carried out to investigate the mycobacterial strains associated with udder and milk in lactating cows and buffaloes in some localities in Egypt. Special consideration was directed to tuberculous mycobacteria. The diagnostic value ofA total number of 376 milk samples of lactating cattle were collected from 278 alive lactating cows and 98 alive lactating buffaloes. Of these samples, 291 milk samples were from apparent normal animals while 85 were from mastitic animals. All samples werOne hundred serum samples were collected from tuberculin tested animals (43 were positive and 57 were negative reactors for tuberculin test.).Anti-PPD antibody titer was estimated in serum samples collected from tested animals using ELISA. In addition, mycobacteriological examination of udder tissues and supramammary lymph nodes of slaughtered of 10 tuberculin positive cows and 6 tuberculin posMycobacterial strains were isolated from 32.2% out of 376 milk samples from animals under study. The percentage of isolation was 2.6% from buffaloes milk and 8.3% were found to be associated with 25.4% of normal milk and 55.2% of mastitic milk.The percentage of isolation was the highest in Giza (7.6%) while the lowest percentage of isolation was in Kalubeia (1.7%).It is interesting to mentioned that typical mycobacteria (M. tuberculosis and M. bovis) were isolated from 15 of 56 mastitic cow milk but could not be isolated from normal cow milk or mastitic and normal buffalo milk. The possibility of their disseminatioAtypical mycobacteria (M. phlei, M. scrofulaceum, M. kansasii, M. fortuitum and M. smegmatis) could be isolated from both normal and mastitic cow and buffalo milk in variable percentage, and their relation to tuberculin reaction in bovine was reviewed exiThere was a marked association between mycobacteria in milk and supramammary lymph node as it could be isolated from 8 and 2 lymph nodes of cows and buffaloes that had the mycobacteria in their milk. Such association wasn’t detectable between milk and uddMycobacterial strains were isolated from 8/24 milk samples of tuberculin positive cows, 2/8 milk samples of tuberculin positive buffaloes, 2/12 and 8/12 of udder tissue and lymph nodes of tuberculin positive cows respectively as well as from 2/8 of lymph The mycobacterial antibody titers (anti-PPD-antibody titers) in serum of animals under study was estimated using ELISA as a technique and the PPD as coating antigen.