Prevalence of tuberculosis among bovines slaughtered in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The prevalence of tuberculosis among bovines slaughtered in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from 1993 to 1997, in 10 slaughterhouses under Federal Inspection, was 0.7‰. The cattle was native mainly from Minas Gerais and Goiás states, respectively 74% and 25%. Prevalence of tuberculosis varied, temporal and spatially, from zero to 8.7‰. This variation was also observed in other partial studies in Brazil since 1924. Place of slaughter and the kind of bovines slaughtered contributed to this variation. The prevalence of tuberculosis in Minas Gerais cattle was 0.8‰ and that of Goiás was 0.4‰. Of investigated municipalities in Minas Gerais, 16.8% were affected by tuberculosis. The occurrence in cattle of municipalities of Goiás was 12.7%. In Minas Gerais, the Southwest Region presented the highest prevalence of tuberculosis (1.7‰).