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Case Reports
. 2010 May;48(5):1960-4.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.02518-09. Epub 2010 Mar 17.

Tuberculosis in alpacas (Lama pacos) caused by Mycobacterium bovis

I García-Bocanegra  1 , I Barranco, I M Rodríguez-Gómez, B Pérez, J Gómez-Laguna, S Rodríguez, E Ruiz-Villamayor, A Perea
Affiliations
Case Reports

Tuberculosis in alpacas (Lama pacos) caused by Mycobacterium bovis

I García-Bocanegra et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2010 May.

Abstract

We report three cases of tuberculosis in alpacas from Spain caused by Mycobacterium bovis. The animals revealed two different lesional patterns. Mycobacterial culture and PCR assay yielded positive results for M. bovis. Molecular typing of the isolates identified spoligotype SB0295 and identical variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) allele sizes.

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Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Multifocal areas of granulomatous, caseous bronchopneumonia (arrows) with a large area of bronchopneumonia communicating with the bronchial lumen (asterisk). Bar = 5 cm. The inset image shows a diffuse pattern of granulomatous pneumonia observed in alpaca 1. Bar = 4.5 cm.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
(A) Alpaca 1. Nodular granulomatous lesion composed of a central core of necrosis, surrounded by degenerated neutrophils and cell debris, epithelioid macrophages, and scattered lymphocytes and plasma cells. Note the manifest capsule of connective tissue delimiting the lesion (as shown by hematoxylin and eosin [H&E] staining). Bar = 100 μm. (B) Alpaca 1. Abundant acid-fast bacteria in the periphery of the granulomatous lesion. Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Bar = 20 μm. (C) Alpaca 3. Marked proliferation of histiocytes, with diffuse intraalveolar infiltrate of foamy macrophages and epithelioid cells. H-E. Bar = 50 μm. The inset image shows random foamy macrophages, laden with numerous acid-fast bacteria within their cytoplasm. Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Bar = 20 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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