Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T18:58:11.663Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The haematological values of European badgers (Meles meles) in health and in the course of tuberculosis infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

K. H. Mahmood ,
J. L. Stanford ,
S. Machin ,
M. Watts ,
F. A. Stuart  and
D. G. Pritchard
K. H. Mahmood
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, School of Pathology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Riding House Street, London W1P 7PN
J. L. Stanford
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, School of Pathology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Riding House Street, London W1P 7PN
S. Machin
Affiliation:
Department of Haematology, School of Pathology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Riding House Street, London W1P 7PN
M. Watts
Affiliation:
Department of Haematology, School of Pathology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Riding House Street, London W1P 7PN
F. A. Stuart
Affiliation:
Central Veterinary Laboratory, New Haw, Weybridge, Surrey
D. G. Pritchard
Affiliation:
Central Veterinary Laboratory, New Haw, Weybridge, Surrey
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Captive, healthy, adult badgers have blood containing haemoglobin at 13·3 g/dl, and 8·4×1012/l red cells with an MCV of 46·2 f1 and an MCH of 15·6 pg. They have 5·1×109 white cells/1 of which 3·29×109 are polymorphs, 1·49×109 are lymphocytes, 0·26×109 are monocytes, 0·07×109 are eosinophils and 0·01×109 are basophils. These values are somewhat less in adult animals just trapped from the wild, and are lower still in wild cubs.

Changes associated with tuberculosis are a rise, and then a fall in red blood count and white blood count, an increase in the proportion of polymorphs and momocytes and a fall in lymphocytes late in the disease. This picture is similar to that seen in widespread, disseminated, tuberculin negative, tuberculosis in humans, a type of disease similar to that occurring in many badgers.

BCG vaccination of badgers did not produce any measurable change in the blood picture.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 101 , Issue 2 , October 1988 , pp. 231 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

References

Cameron, S. J. (1974). Tuberculosis and the blood–a special relationship? Tubercle 55, 55–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dacie, J. V. & Lewis, S. M. (1986). Practical Haematology, 6th editionEdinburgh, London, New York: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
Fountain, J. R. (1954). Blood changes associated with disseminated tuberculosis. Report of four fatal cases and a review. British Medical Journal 2, 76–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glasser, R. M., Walker, R. I. & Herion, J. C. (1970). The significance of hematologic abnormalities in patients with tuberculosis. Achives of Internal Medicine 125, 691–695.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawkey, C. M. (1975). Comparative Mammalian Haematology: Cellular Components and Blood Coagulation of Captive Wild Animals. London: Heinemann Medical Books.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries Food (1986). Bovine Tuberculosis in Badgers, 10th report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Mahmood, K. H., Stanford, J. L., Rook, G. A. W., Stuart, F. A., Pritchard, D. G. & Brewer, J. I. (1987a). The immune response in two populations of wild badgers naturally infected with bovine tubercle bacilli. Tubercle 68, 119–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahmood, K. H., Rook, G. A. W., Stanford, J. L., Stuart, F. A. & Pritchard, D. G. (1987b). The immunological consequences of challenge with bovine tubercle bacilli in badgers (Meles meles). Epidemiology and Infection 98, 155–163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paulley, J. W. (1954). Blood changes associated with disseminated tuberculosis. British Medical Journal 2, 411–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pritchard, D. G., Stuart, F. A., Wilesmith, J. W., Cheeseman, C. L., Bode, R. & Sayers, P. (1986). Tuberculosis in East Sussex. III: Comparison of post mortem and clinical methods for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in badgers. Journal of Hygiene 97, 27–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pritchard, D. G., Stuart, F. A., Brewer, J. I. & Mahmood, K. H. (1987). Experimental infection of badgers (Meles meles) with Mycobacterium bovis. Epidemiology and Infection 98, 145–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed