Live vaccines prepared from M. intracellulare serotype 5 and 16, BCG and killed vaccine from M. avium, were used for the vaccination against tuberculosis in 2191 chickens, 6-10 weeks old, in a small husbandry. The birds were observed for 15 months after vaccination. None of the vaccines used gave satisfactory protection of the hens against infection with M. avium. The most immunogenic activity was displayed by the vaccine prepared from M. intracellulare serotype 5. The birds immunized with the vaccine were affected with tuberculosis half as often as the control hens.
The aim of the study was to perform a preliminary evaluation of the ELISA test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in Polish conditions. The Idexx kit of immunoassays for detecting the presence of antibodies specific for Mycobacterium bovis in samples of cattle’s blood serum and plasma was used to examine a total of 50 serum samples from clinically healthy animals, 44 sera from cows with previous positive result of tuberculin tests, but negative in microbiological examination, 25 sera from animals from whose tissues strains of Mycobacterium bovis had been isolated (including 10 sera from cows with characteristic tuberculous lesions and 15 sera from animals without these lesions), and 16 serum samples from animals reacting positively for Johne’s disease. On the basis of the results of these examinations, the specificity of the test was determined at 100% and sensitivity at 90%. There were no cross-reactions, and the results indicate that the ELISA Idexx kit may be used as an important diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.
Among 4 European bisons hunted in 1997 in the Bieszczady region, in one animal (male, 8 years old) pathological lesions in the retropharyngeal lymph nodes were found and Mycobacterium bovis strain was isolated. This is the second case of tuberculosis in the same herd. Some results of investigations on tuberculosis of farmed and free living bisons in Canada and USA were discussed.
Poland was declared free from bovine tuberculosis on 31 December 1975. During the national disease control from 1958 to 1975, 83 milion cattle were examined for tuberculosis. 3 614 376 (4.35%) cattle with positive reactions were slaughtered. Each year from 1980 to 1996 3 985 726 (1986) to 2 171 654 (1996) cattle were tested for tuberculosis - i. e. 31.51 to 30.37% of the total number of cattle in Poland. The number of cattle which were identified as ill or suspected to be ill was from 6954 (0.17%) in 1980 to 493 (0.02%) in 1996. Tuberculosis breakout will still occasionally occur and monitoring based on tuberculin testing and on the veterinary post-slaughter inspection of carcasses at abattoirs is continued.