Zoonotic Aspects of Tuberculosis: Disease of the past or re-emerging zoonosis?

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a serious chronic disease of humans and animals caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. While M. tuberculosis affects primarily humans, Mycobacterium bovis has a wide range of host species including wild and domestic animals and humans. This chapter investigates the role of different host species in the transmission of tuberculosis at various animal/human interfaces. While drivers and modes of zoonotic TB transmission are reviewed, a broad spectrum of complexities hampering the eradication of this disease are highlighted. The most important constraints, next to factors related to pathogen-host interactions such as HIV co-infection and multidrug resistance of MTBC strains, are socio-economic shortcomings in the control of bovine tuberculosis in the cattle population as well as traditional customs and habits related to the consumption of milk and other animal products.

Risk practices for bovine tuberculosis transmission to cattle and livestock farming communities living at wildlife-livestock-human interface in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

“…Bovine TB has been diagnosed in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and 20 other wildlife species from both private game farms and public game parks in South Africa [13]. A herd prevalence of 38% and 40% was recorded in African buffalo from two of the largest game parks in South Africa, Kruger National Park (KNP) and Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Park (HiP), respectively [14,15].…”

Wildlife-cattle interactions emerge as drivers of bovine tuberculosis in traditionally farmed cattle

“…In Africa, tuberculosis due to M. bovis infection has been reported to be prevalent in cattle populations of many countries and in several wildlife species that include the African buffalo, lion, chacma baboon, kudu, warthogs and several others (de Garine -Wichatitsky et al, 2013; World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), 2019). In South Africa, sporadic outbreaks of bovine TB occur in cattle J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f while M. bovis infection in wildlife has been reported in 21 species and bTB is endemic in some of the wildlife populations (Michel et al,2006;Renwick et al,2007;Michel , 2015). While most wild animal species act as dead-end hosts, others, such as the African buffalo, are maintenance hosts that are able to transmit and sustain the disease (Renwick et al, 2007;Humblet et al, 2009;de Garine -Wichatitsky et al, 2013 ).…”