Congenital tuberculosis in a 25-day-old female calf

Abstract

A female calf, housed in a dairy intensive-system farm, suddenly died 25 days after birth. Routine necropsy revealed multiple variably sized white to yellowish nodules in the lungs. Histopathological diagnosis showed severe granulomatous pneumonia with acid-fast bacilli; Mycobacterium bovis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and culture isolation. Congenital tuberculosis was diagnosed based on these findings. The calf probably acquired the infection from her mother through aspiration of the amniotic fluid. The aim here is to describe the morphological lesions and complementary confirmation of congenital tuberculosis in a young female calf.