CAB International 2018. Bovine Tuberculosis
16 (eds M. Chambers, S. Gordon, F. Olea-Popelka, P. Barrow)- Email: [email protected]
2.1 IntroductionMycobacterium bovis, the causal agent of bovine
tuberculosis (TB) can also infect and cause TB in
a variety of domestic and wild animals (see
Chapters 4, 6 and 7, this volume). Additionally,
humans can become infected with M. bovis and
progress to develop what is known as zoonotic
TB (O’Reilly and Daborn, 1995; Cosivi et al.,
1998; de la Rua-Domenech, 2006). The link
between bovine TB, milk consumption and TB in
humans (especially in children) has been recog-
nized for centuries (Michel et al., 2009; Palmer
and Water, 2011). In the USA in 1900, approxi-
mately 10% of human TB cases were due to
exposure to TB-infected cattle or cattle products
(Olmstead and Rhode, 2004). Most importantly,
approximately 25% of TB cases in children were
caused by M. bovis (Roswurm and Ranney,
1973). In the UK, a report published in 1947
showed that up to 2000 deaths from TB were
due to M. bovis and approximately 30% of new
TB infections in children under 5 years of age
were due to M. bovis (O’Reilly and Daborn,
1995). The role of M. bovis as a source of human
TB historically has been previously reviewed
(Griffith, 1937, 1938; Grange and Collins,
1987; Cosivi et al., 1998; Collins, 2000; Ayele
et al., 2004; Thoen and LoBue, 2007; Michel
et al., 2009, 2015; Thoen et al., 2009; Katale
et al., 2012; De Garine-Wichatitsky et al., 2013;
Kaneene et al., 2014).
Today, in 2017, the true annual incidence
of zoonotic TB is unknown. Thus, its impact on
the global burden of TB is poorly understood.
This is due to the lack of systematic surveillance
for M. bovis as a causal agent of human TB in
low-income, high TB burden countries where
bovine TB is also endemic. The most commonly
used tests to diagnose human TB in many parts
of the world, such as sputum smear microscopy
or GeneXpert, do not differentiate M. bovis from
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Cosivi et al., 1998;
Drobniewski et al., 2003; Thoen et al., 2010;2 Mycobacterium bovis as the
Causal Agent of Human Tuberculosis:
Public Health Implications
Francisco Olea-Popelka,1,* Anna S. Dean,^2 Adrian Muwonge,^3
Alejandro Perera,^4 Mario Raviglione^2 and Paula I. Fujiwara^5
(^1) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department
of Clinical Sciences and Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, USA;^2 Global TB Programme, World Health
Organization, Geneva, Switzerland;^3 Genetics and Genomics, Roslin Institute,
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh,
UK;^4 United States Embassy, Mexico City, US Department of Agriculture,
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Mexico City, Mexico;^5 International
Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France