Abstract
BackgroundBovine tuberculosis (bTB), is a worldwide disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The success of bTB eradication and control programs is based on early detection and the removal of reactors from a herd thus routine testing and cull strategy have been applied globally. Since the late nineteenth century, the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) has been the primary antemortem test available to support bTB eradication campaigns. Due to the TST limitations in terms of Se and Sp, the credibility of the diagnosis is frequently questioned given the occurrence of false-positive and false-negative reactions, therefore, it is necessary to confirm reactive animals using other methods, ensuring the reliability of the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) relative to the tuberculin test used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle in Brazil.ResultsLack of agreement between comparative cervical tuberculin test and ELISA IDEXX TM was observed. The 2 animals positive on the comparative cervical tuberculin test did not react at the ELISA IDEXX TM and 22 negative reactors by comparative cervical tuberculin test were positive by the ELISA IDEXX TM. The ELISA IDEXX TM showed sensitivity that is significantly lower than the official screening test the single cervical tuberculin. ELISA IDEXX TM also detected infected animals and herds undetected by the comparative cervical tuberculin test. The parallel use of comparative cervical tuberculin test and ELISA IDEXX TM increased sensitivity and the feasibility bTB screening.ConclusionsThe results obtained here suggest that the ELISA IDEXX TM may be a supplemental test for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in regions without routine testing and slaughter, where the disease generally progresses to more advanced stages and antibody responses are likely to be more prevalent. Evidence to support the validation of the ELISA IDEXX™ as a supplemental test for bTB eradication programs was provided.
Highlights
Bovine tuberculosis, is a worldwide disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis)
The objective of this study was to determine the Se and Sp of the cervical tuberculin (CCT) test and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) multiple test (ELISA IDEXXTM), under field conditions using a Bayesian approach in order to provide evidence-based data to support adoption of ancillary tests in beef cattle aiming at the improvement of national Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication programs
Prevalence of tuberculin skin test x ELISA for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in beef cattle The single intradermal cervical tuberculin (SCT) test, revealed positive animals in all the studied farms, with higher values on farm 4 followed by farms 3, 5 and 2, and with lower values on farm 1 (Table 1)
Summary
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is a worldwide disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) relative to the tuberculin test used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle in Brazil. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is a worldwide disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and affects mainly cattle and several other species; including humans causing the zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) [1,2,3,4]. The disease is difficult to control due to the lack of an effective vaccine, the presence of wildlife reservoirs, and the absence of a diagnostic assay with sufficient sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) to detect sick animals at all stages of infection [4, 5]. From a practical point of view, the diagnostic performance, the feasibility of execution and practicality of each test, as well as the costs and associated biological risks, should be considered for better strategic use [7]
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