MYCOBACTERIUM SPP.ISOLATED FROM HORSES FECAL SAMPLES

As part of farm animal surveillance for tuberculosis the prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis and other mycobacterial species in horse fecal specimens wasevaluated.Thedistributions of these organisms in horses are rarely diagnosed in horses. Nevertheless, it was possible to obtain noteworthyinformation on diagnosis, manifold clinical signs and epidemiological relationships from available literature. Mycobacterial infections caused both by M. aviumcomplex (MAC)are occasionally diagnosed inhorses in Iraq. Finally, under certain conditions, horses may become a source of mycobacterial infectionsfor other animal species or for immunocompromised humans. Identification was made by classical biochemical tests,Mycobacteria were isolated from 18 (18.75%) fecal samples.Three isolates were identified as M. bovis, and the remaining 15avium mycobacterialisolates were represented. The data demonstrate that Horses in Baghdad are not reservoirs of mycobacteria but may pose a risk to thepublic