Diagnosis of mycobacteriosis in goats: tuberculosis and paratuberculosis

Two main diseases are caused by mycobacterium in goats. Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis or M. caprae, produces severe respiratory distress in goats or remain in a subclinical state. Another important mycobacteriosis in goats is paratuberculosis or Johne’s disease caused by M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis is characterized by chronic emaciation. In mycobacterial infections, clinical signs are insufficient to establish a diagnosis. Histopathological diagnosis of tuberculosis compatible lesions usually allows a presumptive diagnosis of the disease. The gold standard test for Mycobacterium spp. diagnosis is the microbiological culture but can take several weeks. During the past several years, many molecular methods have been developed for direct detection, species identification, and drug susceptibility testing of mycobacteria. Throughout this chapter, it will be reviewed the different methods of diagnosis of Mycobacterium spp. in goats. The main aim of this chapter is to describe the different methods of diagnosis with their advantages and disadvantages.