MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM SUBSP. PARATUBERCULOSIS (MAP) IN GOAT MILK IN THE SEMIARID REGION OF THE BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST - MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION

Goat farming has been on the rise in Brazil in recent years, with the national herd with over 8.2 million heads. Overall, 93% of the national herd is concentrated in the Northeast, with the state of Paraíba being the largest goat milk producer in the country. Considering Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) as a sanitary issue for the development of animal farming with risks for human health and that is a notifiable disease, this research was structured with the objective of confirming the presence and performing a molecular characterization of MAP in goat milk destined for processing plants in the semiarid region of the Brazilian Northeast. Samples from 179 production units and five collective bulk tanks and four samples of pasteurized goat milk were analyzed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used as a molecular test. Genetic material (DNA) for MAP was found in the goat milk sample from one production unit (1/179). From this positive sample, nine lactating goats were identified in the original property, seven of which showed MAP DNA in milk samples (77.77%). This study identified for the first time the presence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in the milk from goats in the semiarid region of Brazil, which shows the potential biological risk to humans and suggests the need for active surveillance of the agent.