A comparative study of the histopathologic features of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, fallow deer (Dama dama), sika deer (Cervus nippon), and red deer and elk (Cervus elaphus).

Sections of tuberculous lesions from 23 elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) and red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus), 12 fallow deer (Dama dama), 10 sika deer (Cervus nippon), and 30 cattle were examined and compared. Lesions were scored for caseous necrosis, mineralization, neutrophils, macrophages, giant cells, and acid-fast bacilli. Some differences in lesion morphology between the species were noted. Elk/red deer lesions had marked variation and often differed from bovine lesions in several characteristics; elk/red deer lesions usually had scattered peripheral mineralization rather than central mineralization and contained more neutrophils and fewer giant cells than did bovine lesions. Fallow deer lesions contained more giant cells but were otherwise indistinguishable from elk lesions. Sika deer lesions had more giant cells and fewer neutrophils than did lesions from cattle or other cervid species. Sika deer giant cells were larger and contained more nuclei than did giant cells in the other species.