Diagnosis of Sheep Tuberculosis in Ranching

The results obtained in our study confirm the presence of tuberculosis on the agro-pastoral farm examined. Our study was based on allergic screening by simple intradermal tuberculin testing and post-mortem examination of the carcasses and organs of slaughtered sheep. The test was carried out on a population of 843 Santa-Inês sheep divided into two breeding sections one composed solely of females and the other of males and females. The overall prevalence of allergy testing in the flocks tested was 25.7%. This prevalence may vary according to various factors including sex herd and season. The overall frequency of post-mortem examination was 9.1%. Animal tuberculosis not only poses a threat to human health it also causes economic losses and hampers food safety by reducing the production of meat milk and other animal products.