Abstract
BackgroundTuberculosis remains a major public health challenge globally with increasing risks for inter-transmission between pastoralists and cattle in Nigeria. This study was aimed at using molecular tools to establish zoonotic transmission of tuberculosis between pastoralists and their cattle in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Sputum (n = 149) and milk (n = 144) samples from pastoralists and cattle, respectively were screened on the assumption of subclinical infections considering unguarded human-livestock interactions. Isolates obtained were analysed using deletion typing, spoligotyping and 24-Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable Number Tandem Repeats (MIRU-VNTR).ResultsFifty-four MTC were confirmed by deletion typing and were differentiated accordingly (M. tuberculosis: pastoralists =42, cattle = 2; M. bovis: pastoralists =1; M. africanum: pastoralists =9). Spoligotyping indicated 59.2% Uganda I/SIT46 (pastoralists =28; cattle = 1), 16.3% Latin American Mediterranean/SIT61 (pastoralists =8), 2.0% T/SIT53 (pastoralists =1) strains of M. tuberculosis and new strains of M. bovis and M. africanum. The 24-MIRU-VNTR of selected predominant cluster isolates shared by cattle and pastoralists (Uganda I/SIT46: pastoralists =9; cattle = 1) showed the same number of copies at each of the repetitive loci.ConclusionsMycobacterium bovis was confirmed in humans and a reverse zoonotic tuberculosis transmission from an emerging Uganda I M. tuberculosis strain between pastoralists and cattle in Nigeria evidenced by MIRU-VNTR. Using molecular tools will help mitigate disease burden through informed epidemiological insights.
Highlights
Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge globally with increasing risks for inter-transmission between pastoralists and cattle in Nigeria
A total of 144 milk samples were obtained from 15 cattle herds in the state, out of which three animals (2.1%) were positive for mycobacterial culture
The study provides a first report of a confirmed epi-link of reverse zoonotic TB transmission between pastoralists and cattle in Nigeria using molecular diagnostic techniques as 24-MIRU-VNTR
Summary
Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge globally with increasing risks for inter-transmission between pastoralists and cattle in Nigeria. This study was aimed at using molecular tools to establish zoonotic transmission of tuberculosis between pastoralists and their cattle in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important threats to human and animal health. TB, bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in humans known as zoonotic TB is gaining awareness as a potentially important problem in developing countries, where no or only limited control measures are applied [1]. The. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 includes a target for ending the global TB epidemic and calls for diagnosis and treatment of every person with. M. bovis patients are twice more likely to die during treatment [3] have made zoonotic TB in humans of great concern. Cough spray from infected cattle may be inhaled by occupationally exposed individuals resulting in typical pulmonary TB [5]
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