A PATHOLOGICAL-STUDY OF A MYCOBACTERIAL INFECTION IN A CAT CAUSED BY A VARIANT WITH CULTURAL-CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS AND MYCOBACTERIUM-BOVIS

A histological examination of a biopsy from a firm submandibular mass in a seven-year-old domestic short-haired cat revealed a granulomatous lymphadenitis associated with the presence of small numbers of acid-f ast bacilli, The cat was euthanased and subjected to a detailed post m ortem examination which revealed extensive granulomatous inflammation in the right and left bronchial, para-aortic, mesenteric and colic lym ph nodes, with small or early lesions in the lung and Peyer's patches of the ileum, Mycobacteria were isolated from the submandibular, mesen teric and cervical lymph nodes, The bacilli reacted with a DNA probe s pecific for the tuberculosis complex, including Mycobacterium tubercul osis and M bovis, but had cultural characteristics intermediate betwee n these two species, The pathological findings are compared with previ ous reports of mycobacterial infections in cats, and the public health implications are discussed.