ROLE OF INFECTED, NONDISEASED BADGERS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN THE BADGER

The lungs and kidneys of 15 badgers which had no visible lesions of tu berculosis but from which Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from pooled collections of lymph nodes mere serially sectioned, Lesions of tuberc ulosis were detected by histopathology in the lungs of 13 and in the k idneys of one of them. The lesions were mostly typical early stage gra nulomatous lesions but seven animals had fibrosed lightly calcified le sions which mere considered to be the primary foci of infection, These lesions suggest an early containment phase of arrested development pr eviously not observed and provide further evidence on which to propose a hypothesis for the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in the badger.