Mycobacterium bovisandM.tuberculosisin Goats, Nigeria

Mycobacterium bovis and M. tuberculosis in Goats, NigeriaTo the Editor: Documentation of possible tuberculosis (TB) in goats in Nigeria was reported by Ojo (1) on the basis of gross lesions without culture confi rmation.Livestock owners in Nigeria normally graze cattle and goats together, and this practice poses a high risk for transmission of bovine TB among these animals (1).This practice is especially a threat to goats in Nigeria because several reports have described bovine TB in cattle in Nigeria (2-5).However, reports of diagnosis of TB in goats in Nigeria are lacking.Molecular epidemiologic techniques such as deletion typing and spoligotyping have been used to characterize members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) and to provide information on transmission of mycobacterial diseases between animals and humans (6).However, because of limited resources and lack of expertise, these techniques are not commonly used in most developing nations such as Nigeria, where TB is endemic (3).Because slaughterhouses provide excellent opportunities for detecting diseases of economic and public health importance, we investigated the presence of mycobacteria in slaughtered goats with lesions suggestive of TB.The investigation was conducted at the Bodija Municipal Abattoir in Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria over a period of 6 months.Slaughtered goats were obtained from local herds and herds in northern Nigeria.A total of 10,389 male and female goats of 2 breeds (West African Dwarf and Red Sokoto) and 1-2 years of age were slaughtered; 1,387 were inspected for gross lesions of TB.Of 1,387 animals screened, 62 (4.47%) had lesions suggestive of