A Pilot Study Exploring the Use of Breath Analysis to Differentiate Healthy Cattle from Cattle Experimentally Infected with Mycobacterium bovis

Abstract

Bovine tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a zoonotic disease of international public health importance. Ante-mortem surveillance is essential for control; however, current surveillance tests are hampered by limitations affecting ease of use or quality of results. There is an emerging interest in human and veterinary medicine in diagnosing disease via identification of volatile organic compounds produced by pathogens and host-pathogen interactions. The objective of this pilot study was to explore application of existing human breath collection and analysis methodologies to cattle as a means to identify M. bovis infection through detection of unique volatile organic compounds or changes in the volatile organic compound profiles present in breath. Breath samples from 23 male Holstein calves (7 non-infected and 16 M. bovis-infected) were collected onto commercially available sorbent cartridges using a mask system at 90 days post-inoculation with M. bovis. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and chromatographic data were analyzed using standard analytical chemical and metabolomic analyses, principle components analysis, and a linear discriminant algorithm. The findings provide proof of concept that breath-derived volatile organic compound analysis can be used to differentiate between healthy and M. bovis-infected cattle.

Physiological variability in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath and released from faeces due to nutrition and somatic growth in a standardized caprine animal model

“…Therefore, the clinical application of VOC analysis may be a promising tool for the non-invasive diagnosis of metabolic, inflammatory, or infectious diseases in humans (Spanel and Smith 2011, Buszewski et al 2013, Wang and Wang 2013 and animals (Dobbelaar et al 1996, Knobloch et al 2010, Purkhart et al 2011, Peled et al 2012, Ellis et al 2014.…”

Recent Advancement in Biosensors Technology for Animal and Livestock Health Management

“…bovis infection by analysing the changes in the volatile organic compound profiles present in breath. More recently, a proof of concept has been presented to reveal that the breath-derived volatile organic compound analysis can be used to differentiate between healthy and M. bovis -infected cattle (Ellis et al, 2014).…”

Breath and sweat analysis as a tool for medical diagnostics

“…Particularly interesting are also compounds that are not normally observed in exhaled breath such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and ethyl-2-methylbutyrate produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or 3-phenylfuran produced by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Last but not least, is the extent of breath testing to animals for monitoring their daily health care [15].…”