title: Controlling tuberculosis in a llama (Lama glama) herd using clinical signs, tuberculin skin testing and serology.
abstract: An outbreak of tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, was investigated in a small herd of llamas (Lama glama). Based on three ante-mortem diagnostic methods (clinical signs, tuberculin skin test reactions, and 'Rapid Test' serology), 12 llamas were selected for examination post-mortem. Grossly visible lesions suspicious of TB were observed in eight animals, four of which had exhibited clinical signs, one was a skin test 'reactor', and three had been seropositive. M. bovis was isolated from seven of these eight animals. Clinical signs combined with serology were found to be useful in identifying infected animals, but tuberculin skin testing had limited negative predictive value as four llamas that were subsequently confirmed as infected were not detected using this assay.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Staplake Mount, Starcross, Exeter, Devon EX6 8PE, UK. f.twomey@vla.defra.gsi.gov.uk
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cranwell
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Crawshaw
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Vordermeier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hollingdale
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de la Rua-Domenech
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy / Q000662:veterinary; D002161:Camelids, New World; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000662:veterinary; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000662:veterinary*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D015431:Weight Loss