Longitudinal dynamics of herd-level Mycobacterium bovis MLVA type surveillance in cattle in Northern Ireland 2003–2016

Skuce, Robin; Breadon, E.; Allen, Adrian; Milne, Georgina; McCormick, Carl; Hughes, Carolyn F.; Rutherford, David; Smith, Graham C.; Thompson, Suzan; Graham, Jordon; Harwood, Roland; Byrne, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2019.104131

Cited by 10 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…M. bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) [5], is responsible for bovine (or animal) tuberculosis (bTB) in domestic cattle and a range of wild mammals [6], including European badgers and deer in Great Britain and Ireland [7][8][9], deer and wild boar in the Iberian Peninsula [10,11], deer and elk in Michigan, US [12], possums in New Zealand [13,14], and water buffalo in South Africa [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylodynamic analysis of an emergentMycobacterium bovisoutbreak in an area with no previously known wildlife infections

Rossi

Crispell

Brough³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Understanding how an emergent pathogen successfully establishes itself and persists in a previously unaffected population is a crucial problem in disease ecology. In multi-host pathogen systems this problem is particularly difficult, as the importance of each host species to transmission is often poorly characterised, and the epidemiology of the disease is complex. Opportunities to observe and analyse such emergent scenarios are few.Here, we exploit a unique dataset combining densely-collected data on the epidemiological and evolutionary characteristics of an outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, bTB) in a population of cattle and badgers in an area considered low-risk for bTB, that has no previous record of either persistent infection in cattle, or of any infection in wildlife.We analyse the outbreak dynamics using a combination of mathematical modelling, machine learning and Bayesian evolutionary analyses. Comparison to M. bovis whole-genome sequences from Northern Ireland confirmed this to be a single introduction of the pathogen from the latter region, with evolutionary analysis supporting an introduction directly into the local cattle population at least six years prior to its first discovery in badgers. Once introduced, the evidence supports M. bovis epidemiological dynamics passing through two phases, the first dominated by cattle-to-cattle transmission before becoming established in the local badger population.These findings emphasise the importance of disease surveillance for early containment of outbreaks, in particular for pathogens not causing immediately evident symptoms in the infected host, and highlight the utility of combining dynamic modelling and phylogenetic analyses for understanding the often complex infection dynamics associated with emergent outbreaks.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylodynamic analysis of an emergentMycobacterium bovisoutbreak in an area with no previously known wildlife infections

Rossi

Crispell

Brough³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…These data revealed clear spatial structuring (i.e. clustering) of M. bovis genetic types in cattle herds [18,19], and have shown that both cattle and badger hosts with the same MLVA type tend to be closer together than hosts with a different MLVA type [20,21]. This observed structure in the M. bovis population in NI indicates that the bTB epidemic is co-localised between both wild and domestic hosts, consistent with some degree of transmission between wild and domestic species [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

<em>Mycobacterium bovis</em> Population Structure in Cattle and Local Badgers: Co-localisation and Variation by Farm Type

Milne

Allen

Graham

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Bovine tuberculosis surveillance in Northern Ireland includes Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) to determine the Mycobacterium bovis genetic type present in both cattle, and the predominant wildlife host, the European badger (Meles meles). These data are informative for investigating clusters of infection and understanding the scale at which interspecific transmission may occur. We utilised a comprehensive dataset of routinely sampled isolates from infected cattle and from badgers killed in road-traffic accidents to investigate the spatial co-location of MLVA types in, and between, the badger and cattle populations. Furthermore, we investigate the hypothesis that the farming enterprise type might explain some variation in this relationship. MLVA types were spatially co-localised in cattle and RTA badger hosts, indicative of a shared epidemic. Dairy herds were more likely to have at least one MLVA type in common with nearby RTA badgers, compared to non-dairy herd types. Marginally more MLVA spatial clustering was observed in non-dairy herds, which may be a consequence relatively more between-herd movements. For the cattle population, local transmission mechanisms such as infection from contiguous herds, infectious wildlife and short-range between-herd cattle movements appear primarily to drive the epidemic: there appears to be a more limited role for long-range movements. Animal management practices are likely the driving force behind this observation, as beef rearing is associated with elevated numbers of animal movements compared to dairy herds.

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“…Spatial clustering in M. bovis molecular types, at various genetic and geographic scales, has previously identified co-localisation of infection between infected livestock and wildlife hosts [ 20 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]; however, little attention has been given to what the patterns in spatial distribution of M. bovis genetic types in NI reveal about the processes driving the epidemic in, and between, hosts. It is already understood that the M. bovis population in Northern Irish cattle herds is characterized by marked spatial structuring and spatial clusters of MVLA types at the herd level [ 18 , 19 ]. Here, we additionally show that the distribution of infection within clusters is not homogeneous, and that clusters consist of central foci, where 50% of infected herds lie within 35.5% of the cluster extent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whilst herd-level MLVA surveillance (MLVA typing on the first reactor) has been ongoing since 2003, from 2008, animal-level M. bovis MLVA typing is carried out on every SICCT reactor and lesioned animal identified at routine slaughter (LRS). MLVA analysis was carried out using established high resolution methods [18,19,50]. The eight M. bovis variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTR) loci genotyped were MV2163B/QUB11B, MV4052/QUB26A, MV2461/ETRB, MV1955/Mtub21, MV1895/QUB1895, MV2165/ETRA, MV2163/QUB11A and MV3232/QUB3232.…”

Section: Bovis Molecular Typing Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Routine surveillance efforts for M. bovis in cattle and badger hosts also include spoligotyping and Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) typing [ 17 , 18 ]. These data revealed clear spatial structuring (i.e., clustering) of M. bovis genetic types in cattle herds [ 18 , 19 ], and have shown that both cattle and badger hosts with the same MLVA type tend to be closer together than hosts with a different MLVA type [ 20 , 21 ]. This observed structure in the M. bovis population in NI indicates that the bTB epidemic is co-localised between both wild and domestic hosts, consistent with some degree of transmission between wild and domestic species [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mycobacterium bovis Population Structure in Cattle and Local Badgers: Co-Localisation and Variation by Farm Type

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bovine tuberculosis surveillance in Northern Ireland includes Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) to determine the Mycobacterium bovis genetic type present in both cattle and the predominant wildlife host, the European badger (Meles meles). These data are useful for investigating clusters of infection and understanding the scale at which interspecific transmission may occur. We utilised a comprehensive dataset of routinely sampled isolates from infected cattle and from badgers killed in road-traffic accidents to investigate the spatial co-location of MLVA types in, and between, the badger and cattle populations. Furthermore, we investigated the hypothesis that the type of farming enterprise might explain some variation in this relationship. MLVA types were spatially co-localised in cattle and road-traffic accident (RTA) badger hosts, indicative of a shared epidemic. Dairy herds were more likely to have at least one MLVA type in common with nearby RTA badgers, compared to non-dairy herd types. Marginally more MLVA spatial clustering was observed in non-dairy herds, which may be a consequence of relatively more between-herd movements. For the cattle population, local transmission mechanisms such as infection from contiguous herds, infectious wildlife and short-range between-herd cattle movements appear primarily to drive the epidemic: there appears to be a more limited role for long-range movements. Animal management practices are likely to be the driving force behind this observation, as beef rearing is associated with elevated numbers of animal movements compared to dairy herds.

show abstract

Longitudinal dynamics of herd-level Mycobacterium bovis MLVA type surveillance in cattle in Northern Ireland 2003–2016

Cited by 10 publications

References 57 publications

Phylodynamic analysis of an emergentMycobacterium bovisoutbreak in an area with no previously known wildlife infections

Phylodynamic analysis of an emergentMycobacterium bovisoutbreak in an area with no previously known wildlife infections

<em>Mycobacterium bovis</em> Population Structure in Cattle and Local Badgers: Co-localisation and Variation by Farm Type

Mycobacterium bovis Population Structure in Cattle and Local Badgers: Co-Localisation and Variation by Farm Type

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