title: Preliminary evaluation of a simple method for detection of bovine tuberculosis: the glutaraldehyde test.
abstract: The glutaraldehyde test (GT) is performed by mixing whole blood with a 1.25% glutaraldehyde solution. Gelification time is shorter in tuberculous cattle. This test was performed in blood samples obtained from: (a) 48 cattle with bacteriologically confirmed tuberculous lesions; (b) 61 animals with no evidence of tuberculosis at the time of slaughterhouse inspection, 14 of which had hydatid cysts; (c) 260 tuberculin-negative apparently healthy animals, and (d) 21 cattle, also tuberculin-negative but serologically positive for brucellosis. Sensitivity for detecting tuberculosis was 85.4% (41 of 48 animals). The test was negative in 298 out of 307 healthy animals (97.1% specificity). This specificity decreased when the test was applied in animals with evidence of diseases other than tuberculosis. This simple, rapid and inexpensive method could play a complementary role to the tuberculin test for detecting tuberculous cattle, especially in endemic areas with scarce resources and facilities.
authors.affiliation: Panamerican Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses, (INPPAZ, PAHO/WHO), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: de Kantor
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nader
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005976:Glutaral; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000662:veterinary; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D005976:Glutaral