Histopathological Changes in Grossly Normal Caprine Mesenteric Lymph Nodes

Mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) are good indicators of intestinal health of animals. Lesions of MLN are commonly associated with infectious and malignant diseases. Unsuspected altered MLN are frequently encountered during necropsy. The aim of this study was to document microscopic findings in grossly normal MLN collected from apparently healthy goats. Mesenteric lymph node samples of 40 apparently normal goats were collected from goat slaughter house in Bareilly. Based on microscopic examination, the lesions were classified into four categories, namely inflammatory changes, reactive hyperplasia, lymphoid depletion and necrosis. Microscopic examination showed that ten out of the 40 (25%) MLN had inflammatory changes in cortex as well as medulla, six (15%) had cortical and para-cortical lymphoid hyperplasia, three (7.5%) showed lymphoid depletion in the cortex and five (12.5%) lymph nodes had necrotic lesions in the cortical area. Sixteen out of the 40 (40%) MLN did not have any significant histological changes. The results of the study showed that 60% of grossly normal MLN had significant microscopic lesions indicating widespread unapparent infections in goats.