title: Paratuberculosis in buffaloes in Northeast Brazil.
abstract: Several farms in the Northeast of Brazil were investigated for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in order to identify the occurrence of paratuberculosis in buffaloes. Samples were obtained from 17 farms, two slaughter houses, and a quarantine area in the Northeast. About 15,000 buffaloes of the Murrah, Mediterranean, and Jafarabadi breed as well as their crossbreeds were evaluated for meat, dairy, and mixed farms with semi-intensive or extensive breeding practices. For diagnostic purposes, postmortem and histopathological examination, including Ziehl-Neelsen test of fecal smears and scraped intestinal mucosa were performed. PCR was applied for fecal samples, mesenteric lymph nodes, and intestines. Six Johne's disease-positive farms, which together with those previously identified, indicate that the disease is spread through the Brazilian Northeast, similar to what occurs in cattle herds in other regions of the country. The increase in prevalence of paratuberculosis is a consequence of introduction of animals from other regions without adequate veterinary assistance and due to the little official attention paid to this initially silent and chronic disease.
authors.affiliation: Setor de Anatomia Patológica, Departamento de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Rodovia BR465 Km7, Seropédica, RJ, 23891-000, Brazil. marilene@ufrrj.br.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Farias Brito
authors.affiliation: Centro de Diagnóstico Veterinário, Escola de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Campus Castanhal, Rua Maximino Porpino da Silva 1000, Centro, Castanhal, PA, 68740-080, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dos Santos Belo-Reis
authors.affiliation: Centro de Diagnóstico Veterinário, Escola de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Campus Castanhal, Rua Maximino Porpino da Silva 1000, Centro, Castanhal, PA, 68740-080, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Diomedes
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Setor de Anatomia Patológica, Departamento de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Rodovia BR465 Km7, Seropédica, RJ, 23891-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Guimarães
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ubiali
authors.affiliation: Setor de Anatomia Patológica, Departamento de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Rodovia BR465 Km7, Seropédica, RJ, 23891-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: de Castro Pires
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 51171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Sampaio
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 51171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Pimentel Bandeira
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: de Melo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 51171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro Paulo Feitosa
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: de Albuquerque
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 51171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 51171-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rinaldo Aparecido
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mota
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000382:microbiology; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D014329:Tropical Climate
keywords: Johne’s disease; Molecular diagnostics; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis; Pathology; Ruminants; Water buffalo