Mycobacterium bovis prevalence affects the performance of a commercial serological assay for bovine tuberculosis in African buffaloes

Elisabeth M.D.L. van der Heijden*, David V. Cooper, Victor P.M.G. Rutten, Anita L. Michel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The endemic presence of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in African buffaloes in South Africa has severe consequences for BTB control in domestic cattle, buffalo ranching and wildlife conservation, and poses a potential risk to public health. This study determined the BTB prevalence in free-ranging buffaloes in two game reserves and assessed the influence of the prevalence of mycobacterial infections on the performance of a commercial cattle-specific serological assay for BTB (TB ELISA). Buffaloes (n = 997) were tested with the tuberculin skin test and TB ELISA; a subset (n = 119) was tested longitudinally. Culture, PCR and sequencing were used to confirm infection with M. bovis and/or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Prevalence of BTB, but not NTM, influenced the TB ELISA performance. Multiple testing did not increase test confidence. The findings strongly illustrate the need for development of novel assays that can supplement existing assays for a more comprehensive testing scheme for BTB in African buffaloes.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101369
JournalComparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Volume70
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Funding

We acknowledge NWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development for research funding (grant W01.65.321.00) and Erasmus Mundus Action 2 EUROSA through Antwerp University for the scholarship for EvdH. We furthermore acknowledge the game capture teams in the Hluhluwe iMfolozi park (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Game Capture led by Dr Dave Cooper) and the Madikwe Game reserve (Rare Game Breeders, led by Dr Michiel van Wyk and Reino de Kock), the Hluhluwe and Zeerust State Veterinary Services, Dr Birgit Eggers, and the Stellenbosch University Animal TB research group for their expertise and support in the field. We furthermore acknowledge Prof Melvyn Quan and Dr Noma Gcebe for help with the sequence analysis and Prof Eric Etter for help with data analysis. Last but not least, we acknowledge Kgwaredi Ledwaba and Mosa Letsielo for technical support in the labs. Appendix A

Keywords

  • African buffaloes
  • Bovine tuberculosis
  • Mycobacterium bovis
  • Non-tuberculous mycobacteria
  • Serology

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