Atypical Mycobacteria with Reference to Porcine Mycobacteriose in Japan By HISASHI NEMOTO

In veterinary medicine the increasing attentions have been paid to the potential role of atypical mycobacteria as opportunist pathogens in animal health as a result of the successful contl'ol of bovine tuberculosis, as reviewed by Kazdall. This tendency will be partially explained from the fact that one is tempted to interpret the occuHence of the so-called no visible lesion reactors, a very perplexing problem in the tuberculin testing of cattle, being due to tuberculin hypersensitivity resulting from the infection or sensitization of cattle with atypical mycobacteria. On the other hand, irrespective of the successful control of bovine tuberculosis in advanced countries, the frequent occurrence of tuberculous lesions in lymph nodes of pigs still exist and the isolates from these lesions proved to be frequently mycobacteria other than the authentic pathogenic tubercle bacilli. In human medicine the infect ion of atypical mycobacteria is a current problem and many knowledges concerning them are now available. In the following a ber ief description of atypical mycobacter ia will be made, with the reference to our experiences concerning porcine mycobacteriose.