Morphological Assessment of Concomitant Lesions Detected in Goat Herds Naturally Infected with Paratuberculosis (Johne’s Disease)
2023
Elena Plamenova Stefanova | Óscar Quesada-Canales | Yania Paz-Sánchez | María José Caballero | María del Pino Quintana-Montesdeoca | Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros | Miguel Antonio Rivero | Ayoze Castro | Valentín Pérez | Marisa Andrada
Paratuberculosis (PTB), caused by <i>Mycobacterium avium</i> subspecies <i>paratuberculosis</i> (MAP), causes significant financial losses in the ruminant industry. The aim of this study is to describe the concomitant pathological findings as well as PTB-induced lesions in 39 naturally infected goats (15 vaccinated and 24 non-vaccinated). All animals exhibited MAP-induced microscopic lesions affecting target organs, although only 62% of those were detected grossly. Mainly concomitant inflammatory pathologies were recognized affecting the hemolymphatic, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Non-vaccinated animals exhibited both moderate and marked granulomatous enteritis in contrast with vaccinated ones which presented mild intestinal affection. Our results demonstrate that non-vaccinated animals presented pneumonia in all age groups studied (from 12 up to >48 months old). A significantly higher prevalence of ileocecal valve PTB lesions was detected in non-vaccinated animals with pneumonic lesions (<i>p</i> = 0.027). Furthermore, a reduction of gastrointestinal non-PTB processes was described in vaccinated goats. In conclusion, a PTB infected goat herd can be affected by a wide range of concomitant pathologies, mostly inflammatory in origin. Anatomic pathology is of crucial importance for correct herd diagnosis and histopathology is an indispensable tool for lesion detection. Additionally, anti-MAP vaccination could have a beneficial effect on the reduction of respiratory and gastrointestinal non-PTB diseases.
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