title: Outbreak of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among captive Asian elephants in a Swedish zoo.
abstract: Between 2001 and 2003, there was an outbreak of tuberculosis in a Swedish zoo which involved elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses and buffaloes. Cultures of trunk lavages were used to detect infected elephants, tuberculin testing was used in the giraffes and buffaloes, and tracheal lavage and tuberculin testing were used in the rhinoceroses. The bacteria isolated were investigated by spoligotyping and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Five elephants and one giraffe were found to have been infected by four different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: S Sternberg
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lewerin
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eld
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Röken
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghebremichael
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koivula
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Källenius
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bölske
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D004606:Elephants; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*