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

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.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Tuberculosis in Animals in Nigeria

“…However, the differences in the disease prevalence estimates between North and South might be influenced by the individuals' survey efforts, as most of the studies on bTB in the country were conducted mainly for academic research purposes, not to generate national data. Furthermore, although 23 States were featured in this study, the majority only had one or two reported studies, which could lead to skewed findings. Therefore, this analysis emphasizes the need for the Federal and State governments to fund surveillance efforts in all animals to demonstrate the diversity in the bTB prevalence throughout Nigeria.…”

“…More so, the most likely source of M. bovis infection to captive wildlife could be contaminated raw meat since TB has been confirmed in slaughtered livestock in Nigeria [24,25,28]. The zoo animals are at risk of exposure to M. bovis infection since the meat fed to them is not subjected to prior postmortem inspection [23]. Consequently, the risk of exposure and zoonotic transmission increases due to the endemicity of bTB in animals, and as a result, cases of human infection have been confirmed in Nigeria [13,15,25].…”

The puzzle of the evolutionary natural history of tuberculosis

“…However, it should be noted that the species barrier is not strict and in rare situations M. tuberculosis can infect domestic animals, or wild animals in captivity. More than 15 species of animals can be infected with M. tuberculosis , including parrots [ 5 , 72 , 73 ]; similarly, M. africanum has been sporadically isolated from African monkeys with active tuberculosis and from cows [ 18 , 74 ]. Five MTBC have already been reported as zoonoses, causing tuberculosis in animals and transmissible to humans, including M. bovis [ 27 , [75] , [76] , [77] ], Mycobacterium caprae [ 78 , 79 ], Mycobacterium microti [ [80] , [81] , [82] ], Mycobacterium orygis [ 83 , 84 ] and Mycobacterium pinnipedii [ 85 , 86 ].…”

Genomic insights into anthropozoonotic tuberculosis in captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) and an Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Cambodia

“…tuberculosis has emerged and persisted in elephants, with evidence of spread between elephants and to other species, including back to humans 12 – 23 . The emergence of M. tuberculosis in elephants, and occasional cases in other, often primate, wildlife species 24 – 35 , is likely due to amplification of human-wildlife contact combined with improved diagnostics, surveillance, and reporting.…”