DETECTION OF BOVINE PARATUBERCULOSIS BY C ULTURE OF POOLED FECES

In order to reduce the cost of diagnosis of infectious diseases, group ed samples (milk or serum) are more and more in use. The authors appli ed this principle to the diagnosis of bovine Paratuberculosis by fecal culture (mixture of 4 fecal swabs). The theoretical sensitivity of th is technique as well results of its application in 23 farms (605 anima ls) have been studied. On several occasions, the method did not Permit to detect bovines shedding M. paratuberculosis. This experiment stres ses on the necesSitY to use more sensitive tests such as DNA probes as sociated with Polymerase Chain Reaction (P.C.R.).