Estudo epidemiológico, clínico e patológico da paratuberculose em búfalos na região Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

For investigation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection 34 buffaloes properties or ranches in Northeastern Brazil were visited for paratuberculosis diagnosis. Investigations included herd evaluations, inspection of facilities and pastures, obtainment of flock history, clinical examination of suspicious animals and collecting samples for diagnosis. Samples were obtained from 26 farms or ranches, including two slaughterhouses and a quarantine area in six states. Approximately 15,600 buffalos, including males and females of the Murrah, Mediterranean and Jafarabadi breeds as well as their crossbreeds, were evaluated for meat, dairy and mixed properties with semi-intensive or extensive regimes. For diagnostic purposes, necropsies, histopathological and immunohistochemical exams and Ziehl-Neelsen tests of fecal smears and scraped intestinal mucosa were performed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were applied to samples of feces, milk, mesenteric nodes and intestines. This exams allowed us to identify eigth new Johne’s disease outbreaks, which, together with those previously identified by our staff, allow us to infer that the disease is being dispersed in the Brazilian Northeast, similar to what is occurring with bovine herds in other areas of the country. The increase in the number of positive farms is a consequence of the ignorance of farmers, inadequate health management, free trade of ruminants and lack of a official control program in the country. This study alerts for risk of commercialization of dairy products for human consumption, reinforces the importance of research on paratuberculosis in Brazil and contributes to the understanding of the factors that work together to increase the number of paratuberculosis cases in the Brazilian Northeast.