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Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

DOI

10.3906/vet-0705-12

Abstract

The present study examined the mammary glands and supramammary lymph nodes of cows with a history of abortion due to Brucella abortus, and presents the histopathological, immunohistochemical, and bacteriological results. The study included 11 Brucella-seropositive cows that aborted during their first gestation. Histopathologically, the mammary glands showed lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic interstitial mastitis. The lymph nodes had lymphofollicular hyperplasia and medullary plasmacytosis. Immunohistochemistry results showed brucellar antigens, predominantly in the cytoplasm of macrophages, and neutrophils in the intralobular interstitium and periductal stroma in the udders of 3 cows. Desquamated alveolar epithelium also indicated intense immunopositivity. In the lymph nodes, macrophages containing the antigen were frequently observed in the medullary region. B. abortus biotype 3 was isolated from the udders and supramammary lymph nodes of 4 cows. Although the most specific procedure for diagnosing the disease is isolation of the causative organism, for suspected cases in which the bacteriologic culture is negative or the material is fixed in formalin, immunohistochemistry may be used as a diagnostic tool for the detection of Brucella organisms.

Keywords

Brucella abortus, cow, mammary gland, supramammary lymph node, immunohistochemistry

First Page

37

Last Page

43

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