Abstract
Despite the significant public health burden of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Rwanda, the prevalence of bTB is poorly documented. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of bTB in cattle using gross examination of granulomatous lesions, to identify mycobacteria species in suspected samples, and to evaluate the economic impact of meat condemnation based on bTB-like lesions in the meat industry in Rwanda. Routine meat inspection was conducted at Société des Abattoirsde Nyabugogo (SABAN)-Nyabugogo Abattoir. Tissue samples including 31 lymph nodes, 3 lungs and 2 livers were obtained from cattle of different ages with gross tuberculous lesions. Mycobacterium bovis was identified using microscopy with Kinyoun staining and isolation of mycobacterial species in culture on Löwenstein-Jensen and Colestos media, further identified using biochemical tests. Our findings, based on culture and postmortem results, show that the prevalence of bTB is 0.5%(0.587*148/16753), with an overall gross tuberculous lesion prevalence of 0.9% (148/16753). The presence of lesions were higher in cattle aged 2 years and older (1.6% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.05) and higher in females than in males (1.4% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.05). Of the 36 samples tested, 26 (72.2%) were positive by microscopic examination with Kinyoun staining while M. bovis was culture-confirmed in 21 (58.7%) cases. Bovine tuberculosis caused condemnation of 1683.5 kg of meat, resulting in an estimated loss of $4810. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of bTB in Rwanda is significant, and that bTB is a major cause of meat condemnation requiring continued implementation of surveillance and control measures. Furthermore, the results from this study also show important variations in sensitivity of the different tests that were used to determine the prevalence of bTB in cattle in Rwanda.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and contagious disease common to human and many animal species (Ayele et al 2004; Palmer, Waters & Whipple 2004) and remains a major health threat to both humans and animals throughout the world (Cosivi et al 1995, 1998; Michel 2002)
It is estimated in some countries that up to 10% of human tuberculosis can be ascribed to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) (OIE 2012)
The study findings indicate that routine meat inspection protocols utilised in Rwandan abattoirs are able to detect 0.9% of bTB lesions at the gross level
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and contagious disease common to human and many animal species (Ayele et al 2004; Palmer, Waters & Whipple 2004) and remains a major health threat to both humans and animals throughout the world (Cosivi et al 1995, 1998; Michel 2002). For this reason, TB is both an economic and public health threat (Biet et al 2004; Haddad & Durand 2001; Michel et al 2007). Cattle remain the most important source of M. bovis infections to humans and other animals but are at risk as cattle can be reinfected with M. bovis by contact with humans (Aranaz et al 2004; Krauss et al 2003)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
