Paratuberculosis (PTB) in buffaloes is a chronic enteric disease triggering health implications and huge economic losses in livestock. This study was designed to explore a simple, cost-effective diagnostic approach for PTB in water buffaloes. Blood (5 ml/animal) and intestinal tissue samples accompanied by lymph nodes associated with mesentery were collected from weak and diarrhoeac animals slaughtered at local abattoirs. Out of total n=771 clinically suspected animals, only n=53 carcasses were sampled based on gross observation. Tissue smears of the gut mucosae were obtained and were made adopting special staining protocol. Tissue samples were processed by paraffin sectioning and stained with Ziehl-Neelsen and Hematoxylin-Eosin staining methods. Acid-fast bacilli were observed only in 11/53 cases on mucosal tissue smears. Pressure atrophy of small intestine villi were evident, and the mucosae were found sloughed off. The submucosae were heavily infiltrated with mononuclear cells and multifocal cellular nodules dominated by epithelioid macrophages. The foamy cytoplasm of the macrophages appeared to be engorged with acid fast bacilli and depicted the positive cases. All tissue sections of the suspected samples showed 100 percent +ve results while only 20.8 percent samples were found +ve with smear method. All histo-pathologically positive cases were further confirmed by ELISA based serological analysis. Therefore, it was concluded that histopathology is an economical and yet the most trusted tool for diagnosing bubalian PTB in countries like Pakistan.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a causative agent of Johne's disease, a disease with considerable economic impact on dairy buffalo herds. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of MAP infection in buffaloes and its excretory pattern through buffalo milk. A total of 74 milk samples were collected from apparently healthy buffaloes of organized and unorganized sectors located in Tamil Nadu and subjected to Ziehl-Neelsen staining and Polymerase chain reaction (IS900 and F57 genes). Out of 74 samples, 3 (4.1 percent), 21 (28.4 percent) and 14 (18.9 percent) samples shed MAP organism by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, IS900 PCR and F57 PCR respectively. Besides age of the animal, stage of lactation and herd management were associated with excretion of MAP in milk. These results showed the high prevalence of MAP infection in buffaloes and warrants further studies and necessary actions to delineate the MAP infection in buffalo population.