Mycobacterium tuberculosisand DualM. tuberculosis/M. bovisInfection as the Cause of Tuberculosis in a Gorilla and a Lioness, Respectively, in Ibadan Zoo, Nigeria

Aina Adeogun,Victor Taiwo,Olutayo Omobowale,Dick Van Soolingen,Chiaka Owuamanam,Olugbenga Alaka,Simeon Cadmus

doi:10.1155/2016/8568237

Aina Adeogun, Victor Taiwo + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8568237

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Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) in zoo animals is an important public health problem in places where it occurs. This is even very important in countries where there is little public health awareness about the disease; thus confined animals in the zoo can be infected directly or indirectly by infected humans and vice versa. In Nigeria, the problem of TB is a major concern among both humans and cattle. Here, we present cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. tuberculosis / M. bovis infections in a female gorilla and a lioness, respectively, in a zoo in Ibadan, Nigeria. These cases were confirmed after bacteriological examinations and DNA from granulomatous lesions of the animals' carcasses were subjected to the Hain and spoligotyping techniques. Our findings reveal the first documented report of TB infections in a gorilla and a lioness in zoo animals in Nigeria. The public health risks of tuberculosis in zoological settings are therefore reemphasized.

Highlights

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem globally [1]
We report the isolation of M. tuberculosis and M. tuberculosis/M. bovis in a gorilla and a lioness, respectively, in a private zoo in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria
Tuberculosis caused by M. tuberculosis and M. bovis has been identified in a wide range of species, including nonhuman primates, (a) elephants, and other exotic ungulates, carnivores, marine mammals, and psittacine birds [2, 3]

Summary

Introduction

The disease affects humans and other wide range species of nonhuman primates, elephants, carnivores, marine mammals, giraffes, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and psittacine birds in different countries of the world including USA, Thailand, Sweden [2,3,4,5,6]. TB is mainly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans and M. tuberculosis is one of the seven species constituting the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) which includes M. bovis, a major pathogen of cattle causing bovine tuberculosis (BTB). Reports of TB infections in gorillas and members of the lion family are scarce in Nigeria despite the huge burden of the disease in the human population [1] and the endemicity of BTB in cattle [7, 8]

Case Report

Discussion