Skin test of goats vaccinated and infected with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Ten goats were vaccinated with a 3% toroid, ten vaccinated with a bacterin and two control groups (five animals each) inoculated with brain heart infu sion and saline solution, respectively. All animals were skin tested with a crude antigen of formalin-killed Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bacter ial cells. All goats were challenged with a virulent C. pseudotuberculosis thirty days after vaccination. Neither the vaccinated nor control goats res ponded to the skin test prior to infection. After the challenge, dermal rea ctions were demonstrated in all animals at one week, five and ten weeks. Th e diameters increased from the first week, five and ten weeks. The reaction s were more preeminent at ten weeks. The results of this study indicate tha t skin testing with a specific bacterial antigen of C. pseudotuberculosis m ay be useful in goats for field diagnosis of caseous lymphadenitis or as an experimental tool to monitor progress of the disease.