Forty-five pigs had mandibular lymph node samples yielding mycobacteria in culture. The majority yielded M. avium (39; 87 % ) only. One yielded M. avium and Mycobacterium palustre, five yielded only NTM other than M. avium (2 yielded Mycobacterium malmoense, 1 Mycobacterium bohemicum, 1 Mycobacterium heckeshornense and a possibly novel species related to Mycobacterium scrofulaceum, and 1 grew a possibly novel species related to M. palustre).
Several NTM species other than M. avium were cultured from porcine lymph nodes. The species distribution shows interesting parallels with human NTM lymphadenitis. Molecular typing and environmental sampling studies are required to identify the sources of these infections.