Bacteriological characterization of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in Venezuelan goat flocks

A bacteriological characterization of strains of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, etiological agent of caseous lymphadenitis, was made in goat flocks from Venezuela Northwestern region where goat breeding is the main way of living. From 18 goat farms, 65 animals presented abscesses. Of the total number of goats affected, C. pseudotuberculosis was isolated in 67.69% of them; other microorganisms in 27.71%. C. pseudotuberculosis grew forming cream white, dry, waxy colonies with a narrow zone of β-haemolysis; pellicle and sediment were seen in BHI broth but did not become turbid. All the isolates were similar in morphological, culture and biochemical characteristics to the C. pseudotuberculosis reference strain ATCC 19410, but some isolates showed variations in the minimum inhibitory concentration values with antibiotics. The frequency of isolation of the microorganism was higher in animals older than a year. According to these results, it is established that C. pseudotuberculosis is actually widely spread through goat flocks in the Northwestern region of Venezuela.