Abstract
The endemic presence of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in African buffaloes in South Africa has severe consequences for BTB control in domestic cattle, buffalo ranching and wildlife conservation, and poses a potential risk to public health. This study determined the BTB prevalence in free-ranging buffaloes in two game reserves and assessed the influence of the prevalence of mycobacterial infections on the performance of a commercial cattle-specific serological assay for BTB (TB ELISA). Buffaloes (n = 997) were tested with the tuberculin skin test and TB ELISA; a subset (n = 119) was tested longitudinally. Culture, PCR and sequencing were used to confirm infection with M. bovis and/or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Prevalence of BTB, but not NTM, influenced the TB ELISA performance. Multiple testing did not increase test confidence. The findings strongly illustrate the need for development of novel assays that can supplement existing assays for a more comprehensive testing scheme for BTB in African buffaloes.
Highlights
Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a chronic infectious respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), affecting a wide range of mammalian hosts [1]
The sensitivity of the TB IDEXX M. bovis Ab test (ELISA) (SeN) was significantly lower in the low prevalence cohort (0%; 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) = n/a) as compared to the high prevalence cohort (27.4%; 95% CI = 27.4 - 27.5%)
An inverse relationship was observed between the SeN and specificity of the TB ELISA (SpN): the SeN had a median of 0%, while the SpN had a median of 94.3%
Summary
Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a chronic infectious respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), affecting a wide range of mammalian hosts [1]. The complex pathogenesis of the disease urges for accurate detection of both early and chronic stages of BTB, and renders diagnosis challenging It is usually based on the detection of the cell-mediated immune (CMI) response to infection with M. bovis, as assessed by the tuberculin skin test (TST) or an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) such as the BOVIGAM® test [14,15,16]. These tests were originally designed and validated for use in cattle and the test performance of both assays is known to be variable [14,15], the TST has proven instrumental in BTB control, and even eradication in cattle, in numerous countries in the past century [17]. The TST and BOVIGAM® assay have been widely researched [18,19,20] and form
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